Reunion: Mended Dreams and Hearts
by wolfpack
Summary: AU Sequel to Shattered Dreams and Broken Hearts. It's been five years since Kat and Tanya have seen either Kenshin or Inuysaha. Things have changed; Kat has had a son and Kenshin has wandered 'again'. What will happen when they meet again? R&R COMPLETE
1. Reunion

Ok! Here's the first chapter to the sequel of Shattered Dreams and Broken Hearts. I haven't finished the entire story yet but I'm getting there. My next story will be a Kenshin & Karou fanfic but I haven't started it. I'm sorry if the ending to my last story was sad and if the characters were too OCC but these stories are my first ones, I'm sure they will get better over time. And yes I know, I should make Inuyasha more jealous so I'll work on that!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Mom, wake up!" Mayonaka said while poking his mom.  
  
"Geeze! Do you ever sleep? I'd swear you were half demon sometimes!" His mom replied.  
  
"There are people outside!" Mayonaka said.  
  
She sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Who are they?"  
  
"Well I don't know, but they were asking for you. The girl with the knifes calls the spiky guy rooster head," her son said.  
  
Kat sighed thinking her son was dreaming, "well let them in, I'll be right out."  
  
She closed the door to her room and changed into some shorts and a shirt.  
  
Someone knocked on her door, "Come in!"  
  
Another girl poked her head in, "Your kid sure is loud."  
  
"How nice of you to say so Tanya," she growled.  
  
"Oh come on Kat, you know he can be annoying sometimes too!" Tanya protested.  
  
"Yah, just like his dad." Kat trailed off.  
  
Tanya gave her friend a sympathetic look.  
  
She knew that it had been hard on her ever since the day they had returned.  
  
Neither of them had ever given up hope though.  
  
The two girls somehow had a feeling that they would meet the red head and the hanyou again.  
  
"Come on. Mayo says there's someone outside," Tanya said.  
  
"Don't tell me he woke you up too," Kat sighed.  
  
"Yep. You know, sometimes I swear that he resembles Inu more than Ken." Tanya said.  
  
"Tan, don't even go there," Kat warned.  
  
"Well how would I know? I didn't even know that you and Ken were together. By the way did you ever.uh. you know with Inu?" Tanya asked.  
  
"TANYA!" Kat screeched.  
  
She chased her friend out of the room and as she was running down the hall she ran into someone.  
  
"I'm sorry! I should have watched where I was going!" Kat apologized.  
  
She looked up to see who she ran into and gasped.  
  
"You should be more careful, that you should." 


	2. Who are you

Ok, I'm happy. I got the five reviews I wanted for the first chapter! I will post the third chapter when I've gotten five more (10 reviews for the story). By the way. I'VE DECIDED TO FINISH THE STORY! I will finish this story before writing another one but I need you to.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Kat sat on the floor not knowing if it was a dream.  
  
Her mind raced trying to get a grip of what was going on.  
  
She stared at him with an open mouth thinking that she was still asleep.  
  
When he offered her a hand to pull her up Kat knew that she must be dreaming.  
  
They stood there not knowing what to say, not believing that they had been gone for five years until, "Hi dad!"  
  
Kenshin looked down and saw a mini him standing next to Kat.  
  
"ORO?!" he asked.  
  
"You look like you've seen a ghost. I'm going to talk to Sano," the Battousai's golden haired son ran out of the room.  
  
Kat watched her son walk out of the room.  
  
She wondered how he had guessed that the man on the floor making 'oro?' sounds could have been his father.  
  
Before Kenshin could stand up completely Kat tackled him.  
  
"Kenshin!" Kat exclaimed, having snapped out of her trance.  
  
Kenshin lay there a moment, letting the woman squeeze him before he hugged her back, "I missed you so much."  
  
"How did you get here?" Kat asked.  
  
Kenshin smiled, "Same way you got to our time, we wished ourselves here."  
  
Kat looked up in surprise, "We? This is your wish? What did you wish for?"  
  
He leaned forward; his breath tickled her lips, "What do you think?"  
  
He pressed his lips against hers.  
  
"Hey Kat. Uh never mind," Tanya said.  
  
"What the hell is taking them so long?" an irritated person asked.  
  
"Inuyasha?!" Kat exclaimed against Kenshin's lips.  
  
Kenshin's eyes flickered amber before he let her go.  
  
Kat ran up to give him a hug.  
  
Inuyasha whispered in her ear, "I missed you so much. It's been so long."  
  
Kat pulled away, "I missed you too Inuyasha."  
  
"Hey Kenshin, where is that babe you keep talking about?" someone asked.  
  
A tall man walked into the room.  
  
He wore white and had brown spiky hair.  
  
Kat raised an eyebrow at the word babe. 'That sounds like.' "Sano?"  
  
He looked at Kat, "Uh, does this little miss know me?"  
  
Kenshin smiled, "Better than you think."  
  
"What is going on Kenshin?" someone else asked.  
  
"Karou!" Kat gasped and saddened.  
  
"Who are you?" Karou asked.  
  
"Miroku, I'm gonna kill you!" a monk entered and fled from the woman who was chasing him.  
  
A fox kitsune ran after them followed by a black haired girl.  
  
A few more people followed after them trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
The monk stopped and stared at Kat.  
  
The girl who was chasing him ended up smacking into him.  
  
A domino effect followed.  
  
"Get off me!" the kitsune yelped.  
  
The monk walked over to Kat, "Will you bear my child?" 


	3. Enishi

I've decided to finish my story (I don't remember if I already told you guys that. If so, then this is a reminder!). I'm going to be gone the next two weeks (1st Oregon to see my grandma, then Canada for a vacation) so I've decided to post this chapter early. When I get 15 reviews (hopefully I'll have that much by the time I get back) I'll post chapter 4.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
Kat turned several shades of dark red, "Not if you were the last guy on earth! Besides, I already have a chi-"  
  
She was cut off when there was a flash.  
  
Kenshin had his sword drawn and had given the monk a hair cut.  
  
His eyes had become a fiery amber, "You were saying something Miroku?"  
  
The monk was so scared that he fell backwards and landed on top of the other woman.  
  
Sano had been snickering but the question aroused again, "Kenshin, what is her name again?"  
  
Kat smiled, "I'm Katsura."  
  
Kenshin resheathed his sword and continued to glare at Miroku who was now cowering in a corner.  
  
Mayonaka had joined the group in the room.  
  
Megumi had seen him come in so, being polite, she asked who he was.  
  
Mayonaka whispered in her ear.  
  
Megumi went pale and whispered in the kid's ear, "Really?"  
  
Mayonaka nodded and Megumi began to laugh while fox ears appeared on her head.  
  
"What so funny kitsune?" Sano asked.  
  
Megumi smirked and announced to the room, "This kawaii little one is Ken- san's."  
  
The room fell sighlent and mouths dropped open.  
  
"WHAT?" "Whoo, way to go Kenshin!" "Miroku, you pervert! Don't touch me!" The sighlence was broken once everyone had partly recovered from shock.  
  
"So are you married?" Sango asked.  
  
"I bet they're not," Megumi said, fox ears still on her head.  
  
"Uh.no we're not married, yet," Kat blushed.  
  
"Well, it's nice to meet you Katsura," Karou said as she shook her hand.  
  
"Call me Kat," she replied.  
  
There was a slight pause when the two girls had stopped shaking hands.  
  
"I'm sure they have a lot to catch up on." Inuyasha hinted as he ushered everyone out the door.  
  
Kat turned to Kenshin, "You're wish? As in all yours?"  
  
He smiled, "Inuyasha was asleep when I saw the star."  
  
"Can I ask why your accent has changed and why you've dropped the 'That it does?'," Kat asked.  
  
Kenshin rubbed the back of his head, "Ano. too much TV?"  
  
Kat rolled her eyes. 'Figures.'  
  
Kenshin fished around in his gi, "You left these."  
  
Kat looked at what he had handed her, "Thank you Kenshin."  
  
She was holding the necklace Inuyasha had given her, the picture of him she had always had and a few clothing items.  
  
"Why is everyone else here?" she asked.  
  
"I thought you'd like to meet them." Kenshin paused, "We have a kid?"  
  
Kat lowered her gaze to the floor, "Yes."  
  
"What's his name?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"Mayonaka," Kat responded.  
  
"Midnight. the time you left," Kenshin said thoughtfully.  
  
The door creaked open and Kenshin drew his sword.  
  
His eyes flashed gold.  
  
A white haired man entered, "Hello Battousai, so nice to see you."  
  
(A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! Just a little one even! I don't care as long as I get one from you. *Has puppy dog eyes* please?) 


	4. You can suffer

Ok I'm back from Oregon! I'm so sorry I couldn't post any chapters while I was there I know how mad you guys get! Thanks so much for reviewing! As a treat, I'm going to try to post 3 chapters tonight! I bought a Kenshin cel from the movie Requiem for Patriots! It's beautiful! It's of the battousai and he looks extra pissed. I love it!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
The white haired man stepped through the door to that lead to the hall.  
  
Kat gasped. 'Enishi!'  
  
He unsheathed his sword and it glinted in the early morning sun.  
  
"Kat, stay behind-" Kenshin stopped when he spotted her with a sword in hand.  
  
He gave her a puzzled look, "Don't worry about me."  
  
Her voice was devoid of all emotion and Kenshin seemed to gape at her a moment.  
  
Her eyes shimmed gold.  
  
"You're not getting involved!" Kenshin told her.  
  
She smirked, "Watch me."  
  
"Ah, Battousai. I see you have gotten yourself another woman," Enishi laughed.  
  
Kenshin's sword flashed and a deep cut appeared on the side of Enishi's face.  
  
"Struck a note did I?" Enishi sneered.  
  
He whipped away blood form the gash on his cheek, "You killed my sister. You ruined my life! You will pay! But first I'll make you suffer.."  
  
His blade flashed and sped towards Kat.  
  
She smirked and raised her sword to block his attack but it was Kenshin who ended up blocking, "Your fight is with me!"  
  
Kat huffed form being annoyed. 'I can take care of myself! After all, I'm half Battousai.'  
  
Kenshin raised his sword to attack but Enishi stopped him, "Wouldn't want this one to get hurt now would you?"  
  
He pulled a squirming golden haired silver-eyed boy out from behind him.  
  
"Mayonaka!" Kat gasped her eyes turning back to their natural hue.  
  
"Let me go!" Mayonaka screamed.  
  
He kicked and flailed around in the strange man's grip.  
  
Kenshin thought he saw his son's eyes flash gold.  
  
There was a flash of silver and red.  
  
Mayonaka dropped to the floor and swiveled around on his feet.  
  
Kat had thrown her sword at Enishi to distract him.  
  
Mayonaka threw a disgusted look over his shoulder before retreating to the safety behind his mother.  
  
Kat had sliced Enishi's arm badly and it dripped blood on the floor.  
  
"Just had that waxed." she muttered.  
  
"Enishi," Kenshin asked, "Is there anything I can do to atone for killing your sister?"  
  
Kat frowned, "Kenshin?"  
  
"Anything. I'll do anything to make it up to you," Kenshin said.  
  
Enishi thought about it a moment, "You can die!"  
  
The floor boards cracked under the pressure of Enishi's attack.  
  
Mayonaka yelped and tightened his grip on his mother's jeans, "Daddy!"  
  
(A/N: PLEASE REVIEW! I'll be the happiest person in the world if you do!) 


	5. Tomoe's ghost

You know what sucks about being a tourist in Canada? Whenever you buy something, all they give you is Canadian change! So now I've got about 10 bucks worth in Canadian change :P Ok, longer chapter than usual but there was a lot to say! I always try to make my chapters longer but usually I'm not able to do it. Enjoy!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 5  
  
There was a shuffle of fabric and the whirr of wind.  
  
The floor boards creaked and broke under the strain of Enishi's attack and splinters showered over the people in the room.  
  
There was a loud scratching sound and all of the sudden the room was quiet.  
  
Enishi stared in amazement at the woman in front of him. 'Sister?!'  
  
Kat used all the speed she had in her to reach Kenshin.  
  
She had covered his crouching form with her body to protect him.  
  
It wasn't a very smart idea but it seemed to have stopped Enishi's attack.  
  
Enishi had dug his sword in the ground to slow himself down and had come to a stop just before cutting through the woman in front of him.  
  
The back of Kat's shirt slit open and a small cut appeared.  
  
Enishi hadn't been able to stop before cutting her.  
  
He didn't seem to realize that the woman was hurt or even that Kenshin was still alive, "Sister?! Why do you protect him?"  
  
Kat turned around at the sound of his voice, confused.  
  
In Enishi's eyes, his dead sister's ghost smiled.  
  
"Did you love him that much?" Enishi asked the ghost.  
  
Kat made to ask what he was talking about when she got a mouth full of fabric.  
  
Kenshin had tried to silence her with his hand but his sleeve had gotten in the way.  
  
"Sister.? He ruined our lives! How could you take pity on him?" Enishi yelled.  
  
The ghost smiled before disappearing.  
  
Enishi broke out in sobs and wrapped his arms around the woman in front of him.  
  
Kat flinched and grimaced.  
  
Kenshin removed his hand from her mouth and shot her a look.  
  
Kat glared at him a moment before trying to comfort the man who had almost killed them.  
  
His sobs eventually stopped and he muttered his apologies.  
  
Kenshin and Kat watched the strange man walk out the front door and disappear into the forest of bamboo behind Kat and Tanya's house.  
  
"What the hel-" Kat had turned around to ask what was going on but was cut off.  
  
Kenshin cut her off by pressing his lips to hers.  
  
His emotions pored through her and sent what felt like an electric current pulsing through her veins.  
  
She was caught off guard and stood there for a moment before sending some of her deeper emotions through the kiss.  
  
His hands untied her ponytail and she felt his fingers run through her hair.  
  
Mayonaka pulled a disgusted face before wandering off to see how the others were.  
  
For a five year old, he sure was smart.  
  
They broke away breathless and panting.  
  
"Kenshin," Kat asked trying to finish her question from before, "What was that all about? Did you wish him here?"  
  
Kenshin stuck a hand behind his head and gave her a sheepish grin, "I don't remember doing it."  
  
Kat nodded, "I remember that happens sometimes."  
  
"Huh?" he asked.  
  
"You wish for something without knowing it," she answered.  
  
"Oh." he said.  
  
"Kenshin, why a do my eyes change colors like yours?" Kat asked.  
  
Kenshin thought about it a moment, "Well I guess I passed part of the Battousai on to you when we.uh."  
  
Kat blushed knowing what he was trying to say, "So part of the Battousai was transferred to me?"  
  
Kenshin nodded.  
  
Kat smiled and grabbed Kenshin's sword from its place on his waist.  
  
He frowned in protest but made no move to stop her.  
  
"So, if I'm part Battousai," Kat unsheathed his sword, "I'll be able to do the Hiten Mitsurguri Ryu."  
  
Kat smiled and took a stance.  
  
Kenshin picked up Enishi's discarded sword and mirrored her.  
  
Mayonaka had wandered into the kitchen to find a note that read. 'Went out for pizza. We're going to find a hotel after that so we'll call you.' -Inuyasha  
  
'Does that mean Tanya went too?' Mayonaka asked himself.  
  
Being bored he decided to wander back to the room his parents were in.  
  
He paused at the doorway, something had told him not to interrupt.  
  
"So, if I'm part Battousai.Does that mean that Mayonaka is too?" Kat asked.  
  
"Yes," Kenshin's answer was blunt.  
  
Kat could tell he wanted to get going.  
  
She shifted and repositioned.  
  
Mayonaka had heard the question and wondered what it meant. 'What is a Battousai?'  
  
(A/N: Yes, yes strange ending for a chapter but I had to end it somewhere, ne? PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	6. What is a Battousai

It's going to take me longer to post all the chapters for this story since for one, I haven't finished it yet (I will though!) and that I'm totally rewriting it. In the last chapter, in the original script, Kenshin kills Saitoh and Mayonaka slashes Saitoh's arm. But as you can tell, I've decided to change it. I (being American) haven't seen the ending episodes so I don't know if Saitoh dies or not (I don't think he does since I haven't read it anywhere). NEways, I didn't want to make Saitoh fans angry so I changed it. (I wrote the original last chapter before the famous Kyoto ark started so I always thought that Saitoh was evil. I know that he isn't now.) So, yah.I might end up posting the unedited version on ff.net sometime but I'm not sure you're gonna want to read it!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
Mayonaka watched from the door peering out at his parents.  
  
There was a soft rustle and a flash of colors.  
  
Mayonaka's eyes widened as his mother disappeared.  
  
Kat launched herself towards Kenshin and prepared to attack before she remembered something important. 'I don't know how to fight!'  
  
Mayonaka saw his mother reappear right in front of his dad and bring down the sword she was holding.  
  
The familiar sound of metal against metal filled Kenshin's ears and a thought flashed through his mind. 'She's never fought before.How can she be this good?'  
  
Mayonaka grimaced at the sound the two swords made when they collided.  
  
He was shocked that to see his parents fighting but even more shocked to see how good they were.  
  
Kenshin did a back flip and heard his sword plow into the ground behind him.  
  
He stood up and dusted himself off, "How.?"  
  
Kat was breathing hard and was staring in shock at her hands.  
  
She pulled the sword out of the now very damaged wood floor and handed it back to its owner.  
  
Kenshin resheathed it and stared at Kat.  
  
"How.was.How was I able to do that? I.I've never even wielded a sword before," she stuttered.  
  
Kenshin thought about it still wondering how she did it himself, "I think.maybe the Battousai in you has picked up information from watching me. You mirrored almost every movement I did and was able to attack."  
  
"But how? I haven't been taught how to fight. I know nothing about the Hiten," she said.  
  
"The Battousai does and he is able to create moves of his own," Kenshin stated.  
  
"Don't I have to learn how to do something in order to do it? How on earth can I learn to do something by just watching?" Kat asked.  
  
"That's how I learned." he muttered thinking about his training sessions with Hiko.  
  
"How am I able to do it?" Kat asked again.  
  
"The Battousai learned the same way I did therefore you are able to learn something just by watching too," Kenshin concluded.  
  
"Oh, is that all.?" Kat muttered sarcastically.  
  
Mayonaka was utterly confused, "Mommy?"  
  
Kat started at the sound and Kenshin's hand flew to his sword hilt.  
  
Kat shot Kenshin a glare, "Mayonaka how long have you been standing there?"  
  
"Almost the whole time." he said sheepishly.  
  
Kat and Kenshin blushed hoping that he had missed their kiss.  
  
"Dad, what is a Battousai?" he asked.  
  
(A/N: well I've completely changed this chapter too! Kenshin was supposed to be thinking about why he kills people and how the battousai came to be.but things change. Hope you liked this chapter! You know that you could review EVERY chapter if you wanted to? It would make me post chapters faster if you did so..PLEASE REVIEW!!!!) 


	7. Expliain

Does anyone ever read my notes? I do occasionally put important things here! I'm working on trying to clear things up in the chapters. I know there are a lot of unanswered questions and if I missed one, tell me! There will be more action and parings later on in the story I'm just working on getting it off the ground. I've gotten the next five reviews I needed to post this chapter, another five and I'll post the next!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Mayonaka asked the question again, "What is a Battousai?"  
  
His parents seemed to be thinking of what to say and he was getting annoyed. 'What could be the problem?! All I want to know is what a Battousai is! They say that I have one inside me so it can't be that bad. Maybe it's like a sickness?'  
  
Kat wanted to answer her son but what was she supposed to say?  
  
That he had a heartless man slayer living inside him?  
  
Kat glanced at Kenshin trying to see if he knew what to say.  
  
"Well.there really isn't such thing as A battousai. Some people just are Battousais," Kenshin tried to explain.  
  
"But what IS a Battousai?" Mayonaka asked.  
  
Kat sighed, "Might as well tell him."  
  
"You want me to?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"Well it is your fault that he is a battousai," Kat muttered.  
  
"My fault? It's yours too." he growled.  
  
Mayonaka cleared his throat.  
  
Kenshin sighed in defeat, "Battousais are bad people. Or.uh.they are depending on how you control them."  
  
"So I'm bad?" Mayonaka asked.  
  
"No you're good.uh," Kenshin threw Kat a 'help me!' glance.  
  
"The Battousai in you is bad in some ways but good in others. He grants amazing skills and power but he is controlled by our emotions. The one that seems to control him the most is anger. If you let anger consume you he will do things to what ever angered you." Kat explained.  
  
Mayonaka stared, "So the Battousai is more of a thing?"  
  
"No, it's more like another side of you. It's like having a split personality," Kat said.  
  
"So if I get mad what happens?" Mayonaka asked.  
  
"If you get mad enough." Kat started but was cut off by Kenshin, "He consumes you, controls every part of you and dwells on your rage. If you let him, he will kill what angered him.."  
  
"How would you know?" Mayonaka asked.  
  
Kenshin's eyes flickered amber, "Because it's happened to me more than I can count."  
  
"What do you mean?" he asked.  
  
Kenshin's eyes were completely amber now, "I've killed more people I can count. I enjoyed it."  
  
Mayonaka quivered thinking he had made his dad angry.  
  
Kenshin unsheathed his sword and swung it at a near by vase.  
  
There was a flash and Kenshin stopped his sword on the other side of the vase.  
  
'How did it get there? I didn't see it cut.'  
  
There was a sliding sound and the top of the vase slid off and shattered on the floor.  
  
Mayonaka gasped and gaped at the pieces of the vase.  
  
"That answer your question?"  
  
(A/N: Yes, another awkward ending. PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	8. Tell me the truth

I've receive the next five reviews I needed to post this chapter another five and I'll post chapter 9. Even if you review twice on different chapters, it counts! Ok, taking longer than I expected to rewrite all these chapters. I'm starting from scratch but plan to use the original chapters later on in the story.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Kat watched in admiration as the Hitokiri cut through the vase.  
  
Something inside of her always liked it when the Battousai took over.  
  
His other side was so different from the sweet Rurouni.  
  
The pieces on the floor rattled and pulled themselves back together to form the top of the vase.  
  
Kat knew that he had wished them back together and also knew what he wanted her to do with it.  
  
She picked up the top of the vase and placed it back on the other half.  
  
A thin line separated the two pieces before it disappeared.  
  
Kat let go of the vase and knocked on the top of it.  
  
The vase rocked on its stand but didn't come apart.  
  
"How?" Mayonaka asked.  
  
"Kenshin, is that the master forge?" Kat asked.  
  
His eyes had changed back to purple and he flipped his sword so it gleamed in the sun, "Yes."  
  
Mayonaka was still confused.  
  
His parents weren't making sense so he decided to leave them alone until they figured it out.  
  
"Kenshin?" Kat asked, "How could you have the master forge? You never wandered or learned the last attack of the Hiten so how could you have the sword?"  
  
Kenshin sighed and there was a creak as the floor repaired itself.  
  
He plopped down in a corner and whispered, "When you left. The first few days were unbearable. After Inuyasha and I got over the shock each day seemed to get worse and worse. With each passing day the realization that you weren't coming back became stronger which made every day for Inuyasha and me more agonizing than the next."  
  
Kat let out a squeak of surprise; it had been the same way with Tanya and her.  
  
She sat down in the corner next to him and listened to him whisper.  
  
"We lived like that for months. Neither of us wanted to believe that you were gone and we just moped around for days on end," he paused.  
  
"So what made you realize that there was still hope?" Kat asked.  
  
Kenshin sighed, "Nothing really. The idea just came to me one day that I might never see you again. That I had to get on with my life and tie up loose ends."  
  
"What do you mean?" she choked, hurt that he had given up hope.  
  
Kenshin noticed that he had hurt her but had to tell Kat the truth, "I went to get the master forge from the place it was kept but experienced some problems. You can't just waltz up and grab a family heirloom expecting that no one will stop you. I had to think of something to get it so I turned to Hiko. My master knew the man who had made the master forge better than me so he, after he told me that I was worthless, wrote a letter that said that the sword would be put to use if it were given to me. There was a catch though. When I returned with the sword I was to learn the ultimate attack of the Hiten Mitsurguri Ryu."  
  
Kat was shocked that Kenshin had gone to Hiko for help.  
  
Even she knew how stubborn he could be.  
  
"When I returned with the sword, Hiko got right to the point. As soon as I came into view of his house I heard his voice say, 'Don't move.' There was a flash of red and then I heard Hiko's voice again, 'Now show it to me.' The fabric of my gi and hakama were slit by the arms and legs. If I had moved, I'd be dead but that's Hiko. Same as always. I tried to attempt the attack he showed me on him but was over powered by his. He asked me, 'Do you know why I was able to defeat you?' I didn't so he sneered, 'You are missing something and unless you find what is with in the next day, you won't learn the attack.' I couldn't believe that he had done that but then remembered that I was missing the will to live. From watching the TV series I knew the answer but he was right, I didn't have the will to live," Kenshin said.  
  
"So how did you learn the attack?" Kat asked.  
  
"I tried to think of why my life was worth living but nothing came to mind. I gave up thinking about it and sat down by a clump of what looked like star jasmine. After a while I fell asleep. You entered my dreams then," he said.  
  
"What did I do?" Kat asked.  
  
"You reminded me of something. I awoke with a start and the sent of vanilla drifted my way. The bush I was sleeping by wasn't jasmine it was vanilla. You always seem to smell like that so I guess that's how I was reminded of you. You were the only one besides Tomoe who made a difference in my life. You were my will to live. Even if you weren't here in person, you were still with me in my heart. I returned to Hiko's and told him what I was missing. I learned the attack and almost killed him. There is one thing though that the attack doesn't do."  
  
"What's that?" Kat asked smiling.  
  
His words had touched her.  
  
"It doesn't seal away the Battousai. It's supposed to do that," Kenshin said.  
  
"Why doesn't it do that?" Kat asked.  
  
"It would be able to seal the Battousai but only if there was nothing for him to hold on to," Kenshin said.  
  
"What?" Kat asked confused.  
  
"The Battousai is still here and able to take control because someone he is close to doesn't want him to go," Kenshin said quirking a brow.  
  
"Meaning?" Kat asked.  
  
"Well, I don't mind if he lays dormant for the rest of my life but there is obviously someone else who does or else he wouldn't be around."  
  
Kat blushed but she wasn't about to admit her feelings for the manslayer, "Are you telling me that the Battousai has feelings?"  
  
"I never thought that he did but I could be wrong. The only thing that bugs me is that the only way he can stay here is if someone loves him and you don't love him do you?" Kenshin asked.  
  
Kat stopped mid yawn and panic shown in her eyes, "Uh-Ofcorse not.."  
  
Kenshin was about to ask her something else when there was a small click.  
  
The door knob turned and someone entered.  
  
"Hey guys! I'm home!" Tanya yelled.  
  
Kat stood up and walked out of the room leaving a puzzled Kenshin behind, "Where you been?"  
  
"Didn't you see the note I left?" Tanya asked dumping the bags she was carrying on the table.  
  
"No, I didn't see any note. What did you get?" Kat asked.  
  
"Most of it is leftover pizza but you wouldn't be interested. Its anchovies! The rest of it is a new outfit I had to buy on the way home," Tanya said.  
  
"So where did everyone else go?"  
  
"I dropped them off at a nearby hotel. We'll visit them tomorrow, ne?" Tanya asked lifting the lid of a pizza box. 'Mmmm. Anchovies!'  
  
"Yah sure. Oh hi Mayonaka. Where have you been?" Kat said as her son entered the kitchen.  
  
"My room," he said.  
  
"Hungry?" Kat asked.  
  
"Yah!" Tanya and Mayonaka said.  
  
"Who wants anchovy pizza?"  
  
(A/N: Don't ask about the pizza thing. I don't even know if Tanya even eats fish. Yes, Tanya is a real person. She is also my best friend like she is Kat's but my name is Jennifer not Kat. Okay? PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	9. Anchovies anyone

Listening to All I Want for Christmas and it's given me an idea. So has the song Dude Looks Like a Lady but you'll have to wait to see what I've come up with. Anyways, I'll be away for the next two weeks (family reunion in Michigan) so I thought I'd post this chapter in the mean time. That doesn't mean you're gonna get away with a free chapter. When I get back I'm expecting ten reviews if you want chapter 11 up.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"Anchovies?!" Mayonaka scowled, "Only freaks eat anchovies."  
  
"Not everyone who eats it is a freak, just Tanya," Kat said.  
  
Tanya glared at Kat and Mayonaka laughed when he caught sight of the small fish hanging out of her mouth.  
  
"I'm not a freak," Tanya muttered while sucking up the fish.  
  
"Sure," Kat and Mayonaka said.  
  
Tanya continued to glare at them while munching on the leftover pizza.  
  
"Anyway, I'm going to check on Kenshin," Kat announced.  
  
"Just check on him or something els-" Tanya was cut off by a shoe thrown by Kat.  
  
Kat exited the kitchen growling, leaving an unconscious Tanya and a laughing Mayonaka.  
  
Kat entered the room yawning.  
  
"Tired?" the Kenshin asked.  
  
"Yah, after all, it's been a long day." Kat said.  
  
She helped him up from the floor and they made their way to her room.  
  
Kat tried to stifle another yawn but found it useless.  
  
Kenshin saw her yawning and caught it.  
  
His mouth opened in a wide yawn and Kat giggled, "Sorry, didn't know it was that contagious."  
  
Kenshin escorted Kat to her room and wished her a good night.  
  
He made his way to the guest room across from hers and found a corner by the window to sleep under.  
  
Kat sighed and hopped into bed. 'If I don't sleep for the next few years I'll be surprised.'  
  
She yawned again and pulled the covers closer to her neck.  
  
Kat squirmed around trying to find the right position to sleep in.  
  
"Are you going to do that all night?" an annoyed voice asked.  
  
Kat rolled over to find Tanya standing in her doorway, "Maybe."  
  
"If you can't stand the thought of him being only 20 feet away and you not sleeping next to him then just go over there and do it," Tanya grumbled and yawned.  
  
"Don't do that," Kat said as she caught the yawn.  
  
"Anyways, just go over there and sleep with him?" Tanya asked.  
  
Kat threw a pillow at her friend, "Freak!"  
  
"No I didn't mean sleep with him meant sleep with him," Tanya said.  
  
"Wow that sounds much clearer," Kat muttered.  
  
"You know what I mean!" Tanya growled and stalked off.  
  
Kat sighed, knowing her friend was right.  
  
She pulled her comforter off her bed and went to join Kenshin.  
  
She found him in a corner by the window, bangs covering his face and sword against his shoulder.  
  
She knew he wasn't asleep and that he had heard her come in.  
  
He lifted his head and watched her walk over.  
  
He shifted his sword to his other shoulder, "Something wrong?"  
  
"No, I just wanted to join you," Kat said.  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not doing anything exciting," Kenshin joked.  
  
"I know," Kat said sheepishly.  
  
Kenshin put his sword down and shifted to make room.  
  
Kat sat down next to him and thought of something to say. 'Should I tell him how hot he looks in the moonlight? No that would only earn me an ORO?! and an unconscious red head.'  
  
Kenshin grabbed the comforter Kat was carrying and wrapped it around them.  
  
She moved closer to keep her feet from sticking out of the blanket.  
  
They sat there a moment before realizing that that wouldn't be a very comfortable position to sleep in.  
  
Kenshin watched as Kat scooted even closer and hesitate before she laid her head on him.  
  
Her hair felt silky against his chest and he was tempted to run his fingers through it.  
  
Kat could hear the steady beat of his heart and it began to lull her to sleep.  
  
Kenshin was surprised when he noticed that she had fallen asleep and was even more surprised when his heart began to pick up speed.  
  
His eyes flashed gold in the eerie glow from the moon.  
  
He hoped that she couldn't hear it the thundering his heart was making.  
  
Kat shifted in his struggle to calm down and she slipped down his chest. 'Oh no! Don't do that!'  
  
He tried to grab her before she slipped even lower but he was afraid that he would wake her.  
  
There were soft foot steps approaching and he began to panic.  
  
Kat had slipped all the way into his lap by then.  
  
Mayonaka stifled a yawn as he walked past his mother's room.  
  
No one was there so he decided to peak into the guest room.  
  
Kenshin saw Mayonaka pear in and snatched the blanket to cover Kat before his young eyes could manage a peep.  
  
Mayonaka blinked then shook his head. 'I must be dreaming. Either that or my parents are perverts.'  
  
There was a soft muffled, "Oro?!" and all was quiet.  
  
(A/N: Yes, I'm so cruel to the characters, ne? Hope you liked this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	10. Haven't you heard of Santa

*Points and shouts at top of lungs* EVIL!!! EVIL!!! EVIL!!! You people are so EVIL (I'm yelling at all people who read my stories but don't review). I wanted to get 4 more reviews before posting this chapter but noooo, I only got 41 instead of 45! The only reason I'm posting this chapter now is because of my fans who do review (you guys are so impatient but I like it, it keeps me on my feet). NEways peeps who don't review are EVIL!!!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 10  
  
Kat yawned as she woke up.  
  
Something had been poking her in the side and it was beginning to get annoying.  
  
She reached over so see what it was.  
  
It was Kenshin's sword that had been poking her. 'Ouch, that's gonna be soar for awhile.'  
  
She wondered how the sword had gotten there. 'I remember him putting it down last night.'  
  
Kenshin lazily opened an eye to see what was going on.  
  
Kat could feel Kenshin begin to move and was surprised to find that he had been there all night.  
  
Kat turned around, "Ohayou Kenshin. Sleep well?"  
  
Kenshin, not needing much sleep at all, hadn't slept at all but he didn't want to make her worry, "Yes."  
  
"Christmas is in two weeks know what were doing yet?" Kat asked.  
  
He quirked a brow, "Christmas?"  
  
Kat sweat dropped, "You'd think with all the TV you've watched you'd at least have heard of Santa."  
  
Her reply was a confused look, "The fat guy? Is he coming to visit?"  
  
Kat rolled her eyes and began to tell him about Christmas.  
  
It was cold out and both of them were glad to be inside curled up together.  
  
Snow drifted from thick clouds to the ground of the white wonderland outside.  
  
"So Santa goes from house to house by going through the chimney. He gives presents to all the little children. Unfortunately, he's just a myth," Kat concluded.  
  
Kenshin nodded as he thought about what Kat had just said.  
  
"Another thing about Christmas is that one of my friends always seems to get engaged. I wonder who will be asked this year. I know that Tanya and Jason have been dating for a while. I bet her ring will be beautiful," Kat thought aloud.  
  
Kat saw Kenshin thinking about what she had just said. 'I wonder if I'm going to get married this year!'  
  
There was a knock on their door.  
  
"Come in!" Kat said.  
  
Tanya poked her head in, "Morning Kenshin. Hi Kat!"  
  
Kenshin stood up, "I'm going to practice."  
  
Kat exchanged confused glances with Tanya.  
  
He grabbed his sword and walked out of the room.  
  
"What was that all about? Did I say something wrong?" Tanya asked.  
  
Kat shrugged and began to put on boots and jackets.  
  
Tanya took the hint and ran off to find warm clothes.  
  
Mayonaka poked his head in, "Where are we going?"  
  
"Tanya and I are going to watch your father practice," Kat told him.  
  
"Sounds fun! I'll go get my jacket!" Mayonaka turned to go but was stopped by his mom.  
  
"I don't think so! Something always seems to get hurt every time your father draws his sword and I don't want that something to be you," Kat said sternly.  
  
"But mom!" Mayonaka pleaded.  
  
Kat sighed in defeat, Mayonaka looked just like his dad therefore she could hardly ever say no to him, "Fine, have Tanya find your jacket."  
  
Mayonaka gave a whoop of glee and raced away to find Tanya.  
  
Kat brought one of her oversized jackets with her to give to Kenshin.  
  
She wondered why he hadn't thought to bring one with him.  
  
Kat walked outside and spotted him.  
  
Kenshin had his sword drawn and was fighting against invisible foes of his past.  
  
He leapt and slashed.  
  
Kat watched as he occasionally disappeared from sight using his god-like speed.  
  
His breath came out in white puffs and his eyes flashed from purple to gold.  
  
Kat wondered if he could make them change color at will.  
  
Tanya came out holding a cup of hot chocolate.  
  
Mayonaka was right behind her and had his hat pulled over his face.  
  
He bumped into Tanya and knocked her over.  
  
Kat laughed as Tanya landed face first in the snow.  
  
The hot chocolate Tanya had spilled and was now melting a hole in the snow.  
  
Kat pulled Mayonaka's cap off and then helped Tanya up, "You ok?"  
  
Tanya grumbled and glared at Mayonaka, "I'd be a lot better if that brat hadn't knocked me over."  
  
Mayonaka stuck out his toung.  
  
"Children please!" Kat teased, "Calm down or I'm going to have to put you on a time out!"  
  
Tanya mumbled a few more curses before she joined Kat on the porch.  
  
Mayonaka sighed; he liked making fun of his mom's friend.  
  
It was easy to make her mad so he often had small fights with her.  
  
He sat down on the step under Kat's and used the railing as a support for his back.  
  
They watched the amazing display and seemed to be mesmerized by it.  
  
After a while Kenshin seemed to stop for a break.  
  
His breath was fast and it seemed that he was a bit tired.  
  
Kat stood up and walked over.  
  
Tanya didn't think it was such a good idea and wanted to warn her friend but she seemed to be immobile.  
  
Kenshin's golden flecked eyes flicked over to her and he lowered his sword.  
  
Just as she was about to reach him he swung his sword in an arch across the ground.  
  
Snow kicked up and caught in the wind.  
  
She jumped and avoided being hit.  
  
She glared at him, eyes flickering.  
  
Kenshin met her gaze, "Let's see how good you are. Think of this as your first lesson in the Hiten Mitsurguri."  
  
He threw his old reverse blade toward her.  
  
Kat grabbed it and unsheathed it.  
  
(A/N: Bet you can't wait for the next chappie, ne? The more reviews I get the sooner it will be on so PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	11. You can't leave me

LOL! That was fast, I didn't expect to get 5 reviews that fast! This chapter is somewhat of a cliffhanger but it makes it more exciting if I leave you on the edge, ne? Enjoy!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Tanya had gotten her voice back, "Kat! Be careful!"  
  
She watched her friend smirk at Kenshin.  
  
Mayonaka saw his parents stand there a moment before disappearing.  
  
Small puffs of snow were kicked up.  
  
They saw them reappear with their swords locked together.  
  
The familiar sound of metal against metal filled their ears.  
  
Kenshin broke the sword lock and began to step back.  
  
He disappeared from sight again and Kat felt something push on the back of her knee.  
  
She stumbled forward.  
  
Kenshin reappeared in front of her.  
  
There was a pause as both of them stopped moving to catch their breath.  
  
"Pretty good for a beginner. I didn't even catch on this fast but then again I didn't have the Battousai aiding me," Kenshin complemented.  
  
Kat's heart pounded so fast, it put a mouse's to shame.  
  
There was a scraping sound on Kat's left.  
  
Kenshin dragged his sword across the ground.  
  
Kat watched it draw a line in the snow and wondered what he could be doing.  
  
Kenshin raised his sword above his head.  
  
Realization hit her as she realized what he was about to do.  
  
She gazed into his golden eyes and tears sprang up, "You let him take control again. You'll end up killing me one of these days."  
  
His sword stopped mid swing.  
  
Kat scrambled out of the way.  
  
His eyes glazed over and he stared at his arm as if it had just been bitten off.  
  
Tanya was chalk white and she leaned over to vomit.  
  
Mayonaka watched as Tanya passed out.  
  
She had almost had a heart attack when she saw her friend about to be killed.  
  
Kenshin dropped his sword in the snow and choked out, "I'm so sorry."  
  
Kat sat there not able to speak.  
  
"The battousai in me has grown more powerful in the past years. He is harder to control than before. Every time I pick up a sword he becomes more powerful. I'm only going to end up hurting you.or worse. if I stay longer."  
  
He made to turn when Kat stopped him, "Kenshin wait!"  
  
He stopped but didn't turn around.  
  
She walked up to him.  
  
Kat grabbed the fabric of his gi then placed her head between his shoulder blades.  
  
She felt him flinch and stiffen.  
  
"Don't go," she whispered into his gi.  
  
He turned around and pulled her into a hug.  
  
The wind whipped around them and pulled Kenshin's hair free of its' band.  
  
It mixed with hers and danced in the wind.  
  
"I'll only hurt you. The longer I stay, the more danger you're in."  
  
"Bull," came the reply.  
  
Kenshin looked down and saw that Kat was crying.  
  
Her body shook with sobs and rattled her small frame.  
  
"I have to go," Kenshin murmured more to himself then to her.  
  
Mayonaka frowned.  
  
He was getting annoyed since he couldn't hear anything over the howl of the wind as it picked up speed.  
  
Kat took in the fact that he was really going to leave her if she didn't do something.  
  
She was about to protest when he placed a finger over her lips, "You don't know what it's like to be a manslayer and a wanderer at the same time. My sword was stained with blood. Not even the hardest rain could wash it clean. My dreams are haunted with the memories of my past. I've seen rills of fresh blood wash in bright threads between cobblestones and run down the gutters in streamlets. I've seen koi in ponds floating belly-up, poisoned by the blood which pours out of the gutters in floods and which seemed to rise from the springs in the earth itself. I've seen blood rising everywhere, staining the fields and forests. Even the moon began to look like a bloodshot, dying eye," he paused.  
  
Kat stared at him in shock, "You've killed that many people at once?"  
  
"You don't know what it's like. This is why I need to leave. I can still smell blood everywhere I go. Some of my missions were so bloody, that you could walk in the streets with blood up to your ankles." He sighed, "I was a wander. I lied to you Kat. After you left I joined the war to bring in a new era that would restore the peace. It lasted for two and a half years. I became a wanderer after that to repent for my sins. I met Hiko in the middle of my wandering. People still have come after me seeking revenge. You saw how it was with Enishi. People haven't been able to grasp the fact that I no longer want to fight. I never enjoyed killing and I still don't now, but the battousai in me has no feelings. He doesn't care for you the way I do."  
  
With that he pulled away.  
  
Kat stood there in the cold and watched the man of her dreams disappear into the forest of bamboo.  
  
"Promise you'll come back to me."  
  
(A/N: Muhahah I don't mean to be so evil but this chapter had to end somewhere. I wanted to add this quote too but couldn't find a place for it especially since it takes place in May. My story is, at the moment, taking place in December. 'Meji 14/ May 14 Kenshin became a wandering Rurouni again. He disappeared into the dark, alone.') 


	12. He loves me, he loves me not

Finally! You guys took longer than usual to review. Did you know that if you don't sign in for a review, you can review my story as many times as you want? Ok, I'm starting to use parts of the original chapters again. Most of this chapter was supposed to belong to the original chapter 9 but I had to change it.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 12  
  
There was a knock on the door, "Kat, can I come in?"  
  
Tanya knocked again and waited for a response.  
  
The only one she got was an impatient cough from behind her.  
  
"I'm coming in and there are others who want to see you," Tanya said as she turned the handle.  
  
She entered, "Inuyasha and everyone else came to say hello."  
  
Kat didn't even look up.  
  
Tanya walked over, "Jason is over too. He asked me to marry him this morning."  
  
Tanya showed her the ring but Kat's gaze didn't move from the wall.  
  
Tanya blushed with anger and used the back of her hand to smack her friend across the face.  
  
A red mark began to appear and Kat's gaze moved towards the floor.  
  
Hot tears spilled down Tanya's face, "How could you not care? I'm sure it took all of his wits for him to ask me and here you are moping! You always encouraged our relationship even though we used to fight a lot. You were always there for us. Don't you care?! Can't you see? You're not the only one that misses him!"  
  
Inuyasha placed a hand on Tanya's shoulder to stop her from continuing.  
  
Tanya shot him a glare before seeing the expression in his eyes.  
  
She paused a moment before growling out an excuse to leave.  
  
Inuyasha watched as the odd girl let out a string of curses and slam the door behind her.  
  
He walked over to Kat and knelt down beside her.  
  
He could smell the salt of her tears, "Am I really that mean? Does Tanya think I'm that horrible? I do care about her and Jason getting engaged!"  
  
Inuyasha sat there not really knowing what to do after all, he was never really that good with crying girls.  
  
He thought about something a moment before pulling her into a hug, "Don't worry, Tanya didn't mean it. She is just worried about you."  
  
Tears began to stain his fire rat kimono.  
  
Kat sighed, "I know. I feel so bad. It's almost Christmas and here I am moping. I just miss him so much."  
  
"Then go after him," Inuyasha suggested.  
  
Kat stiffened in his embrace, "He doesn't want me to find him."  
  
"Bullshit. You know he loves you," Inuyasha said.  
  
"Really? Then why did he leave?" she asked flatly.  
  
"He truly loves you. Don't you see? He didn't want to see you get hurt. He couldn't live with the fact that he could make a mistake and end up killing you," Inuyasha told her.  
  
"He wouldn't hurt me purposefully. I'm a battousai too. I'm just as good as him and I can stick up for myself," Kat pointed out.  
  
"You're preaching to the quire. I know that. I can smell the change in you," he said.  
  
"How did you and everyone else pick up slang and modern day phrases?" Kat asked.  
  
Inuyasha grinned, "Too much TV."  
  
"So everyone else picked up slang too?" Kat asked.  
  
"No, that was Kenshin's wish," Inuyasha said.  
  
"He wished for everyone to have poor grammar?"  
  
"Yep," Inuyasha said.  
  
Kat noticed that there was something different in the way he spoke.  
  
He seemed sad; it was almost as if he didn't want her to go after Kenshin.  
  
Then it hit her, "You love me."  
  
(A/N: HA! Another cliffy! Oh well, you'll just have to wait till the next chapter. You can me happy by reviewing *Hint hint* PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	13. She belongs to someone else

I feel a tingling in my nose. Must sneeze! Must sneeze!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 13  
  
Inuyasha stiffened in surprise and fell over.  
  
Kat's mind reeled over what she had discovered.  
  
"You love me?" she repeated again.  
  
Inuyasha sat up and sighed.  
  
He couldn't meet her gaze, "Yes."  
  
Kat was shocked beyond belief, "Then why do you want me to go after Kenshin?"  
  
He lifted his gaze from the floor and met hers.  
  
His amber eyes showed raw emotion, "Because I love you. Your happiness means every thing to me. Even if it means that you happier with someone else."  
  
Kat let out a gasp, "Inuyasha."  
  
At that moment he realized that Kat would never be his.  
  
Her pure heart belonged to a manslayer whose hands still smelled of blood. and yet she still loved him.  
  
She loved a man who was hated and feared by most everyone.  
  
She had accepted the fact that he wasn't perfect and that he could kill her with his bare hands.  
  
Inuyasha's ears drooped, "I'm sorry."  
  
Kat snapped out of her trance, "Inuyasha, how could you be sorry? I'm the one who should be sorry. You still love me even when I love someone else. It must hurt to see me with Kenshin but if you truly love me, you'll help me find him."  
  
Inuyasha had his ears flattened against his head.  
  
He had just been pushed away.  
  
It had taken him so long to tell her how he felt and look what happened.  
  
His emotional mask slipped into place again but the hurt in his eyes didn't leave.  
  
It reminded Kat of a quote she had heard, 'People are rarely at their best when they are alone. They usually put their masks of politeness, good order, and good breeding aside. So what's beneath? Some monster? Some discussing thing that would make people run away, screaming? Sometimes perhaps, but it's usually nothing bad at all. Usually people would just laugh if they saw us with our masks off- laugh, or make a revolted face or both at the same time.'  
  
Kat sighed and hugged Inuyasha, "I'm sorry."  
  
He sighed too, "No, don't be. I took a risk. I let myself love you when it was apparent that you loved someone else."  
  
"Yah, but I'm still sorry. I love you as a friend, but I can't love you anymore than that," Kat said.  
  
Inuyasha stood up looking emotionally drained before shaking it off, "Well, we better find Kenshin soon before it's too late to give him my present of a major ass whoopin'."  
  
(A/N: Whenever you see a dot then a lowercase letter there's supposed to be three dots like if I write I.um the three dots for some reason don't show up. It's the same way whenever I try to italicize or bold something. If you can tell me how to fix that I'd be really happy! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	14. Where were you when I needed you most

You guys are so evil! I haven't gotten any reviews all week and that makes me sad! _ I've decided to post this chapter early anyways and I hope you're happy! Oh yah, I don't write lemons so you can read the end of this chapter.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 14  
  
The wind whipped through Kat's hair as she road through the forest on Inuyasha's back.  
  
He was using his nose to follow the scent trail that Kenshin had left.  
  
They had lost it a few times since there were rivers that Kenshin had used to throw them off.  
  
Kenshin probably knew that he was being followed so he had begun to use the rivers to conceal his scent.  
  
Inuyasha couldn't be fooled that easily and since he was not just part dog but demon also, he had almost no problems in keeping to the trail.  
  
The only thing that was keeping them from going faster was the dense forest.  
  
The unseen path that Kenshin had taken went through the thickest part of the massive bamboo forest.  
  
Inuyasha had brought his sword with him but there was no room to swing the sword to clear the way.  
  
Inuyasha took a sharp turn and splashed through the river.  
  
Kat squeaked when the water began to splash on her pants.  
  
It was still snowing and the water was icy.  
  
Her mind wandered back to what Kenshin had said. "I lied to you. As soon as you left I joined the war to bring in a new era that would restore the peace."  
  
Kat blinked away tears.  
  
She still couldn't believe that he had lied to her.  
  
Something whirled past her head.  
  
She was dropped and sent into the icy river.  
  
Inuyasha let out a grunt of pain and grabbed his shoulder, "Sorry Kat."  
  
"What was-" she was caught off when the screams of a dying person reached her ears.  
  
Inuyasha crumpled and went face first into the soft snow.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she screamed.  
  
The snow around him began to turn crimson from the new wound.  
  
Kat tried to pick him up but he seemed to weigh a lot more than humanly possible.  
  
She flipped him over instead.  
  
There was a hole in his shoulder and it was seeping blood.  
  
Kat used a piece of her shirt to try to stop the flow.  
  
She looked around to see what was going on.  
  
To her surprise she noticed that the bamboo forest around her began to change.  
  
The river began to shrink and the bamboo began to thin out. 'We must have gone back in time.'  
  
Something ran past her, "Hey! Wait!"  
  
The person stopped and sneered.  
  
His gaze flicked to Inuyasha and then back to her.  
  
The man stepped closer and Kat started to back away.  
  
She stopped when she felt something sharp and cold press against her neck.  
  
"Mmmmm, smells sweet. Looks like we got a fresh one," the person behind Kat said.  
  
His breath smelled of alcohol and it made Kat want to gag.  
  
She used her toe to smash his foot and she smirked when she heard a crack.  
  
The man who had the dagger at her throat just smirked and whispered into her ear, "Now that wasn't very nice."  
  
Kat felt the dagger press harder against her neck.  
  
A line of blood trickled down her throat.  
  
The man's hand began to wander and Kat tried to get away.  
  
"Move anymore and I'll slit your throat wide open," he hissed in her ear.  
  
The man unzipped Kat's jacket and took it off her.  
  
Tears streamed down Kat's face and she choked down sobs.  
  
The first man came over and drew his knife.  
  
He placed the tip under Kat's shirt and cut it off her.  
  
They let out long high whistles as Kat's shirt and bra fell to the ground.  
  
They removed the rest of her clothes and laughed at her weak struggles to stop them.  
  
One of the men began to fiddle with his belt and Kat let out a piercing scream.  
  
A rush of cold air blew across her bear skin making her shiver.  
  
The feeling in her limbs began to seep out of her taking hope with it.  
  
Her tears flowed freely and she shut her eyes hoping it was just a nightmare, a silly dream where she would wake up screaming and have Kenshin comfort her.  
  
She recalled both him and Inuyasha once telling her that they would protect her with their lives.  
  
But where were they now?  
  
(A/N: Yes I'm so mean and cruel but would I ever let anything like this happen to my characters? You'll have to find out in the next chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	15. Not everyone gets what they deserve

Sorry it took so long to post this but I had to rewrite it (the ending of the last chapter came to me as I was editing it). I know I must seem very evil right now but things will eventually clear up I promise! Once again I'm sorry it took me so long to write this!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 15  
  
Kat's vision was blurred from her tears.  
  
Her neck hadn't stopped bleeding and blood was running down her skin.  
  
She couldn't fell her arms or legs since it was so cold out.  
  
She had given up hope; there was nothing she could do.  
  
The men kept laughing and the knife never once left her throat.  
  
A cold breeze swept over them.  
  
A blur streaked across the clearing and was left unnoticed by the two men.  
  
Another frigid breeze blew snow their way.  
  
A cold and very angry voice came from behind the two men, "Let. Her. Go."  
  
Kat's eyes flew open recognizing the voice instantly.  
  
The man who had begun to take off his pants turned around.  
  
The amber eyes of the Battousai blazed with anger so strong it made the man fall over backwards.  
  
The Hitokiri carried two swords, one in each hand, both trickling blood from the tips.  
  
He flicked them and droplets of blood flecked the two men.  
  
"I know you heard me the first time," the Hitokiri hissed.  
  
The blade was with drawn from her neck as the man behind Kat loosened his hold.  
  
He stood up, taking Kat with him, took a few steps and dropped her.  
  
Kat let out a piercing scream as she was dropped over the edge of a cliff.  
  
The Hitokiri hissed again, "Done playing yet?"  
  
One of the two men laughed, "We've just started having fun."  
  
The Battousai reached up and took the piece of tape away from his face.  
  
The man stopped laughing and murmured, "The cross shaped scar. The red hair. He's the Battous-"  
  
The man was cut short as his head was separated from his shoulders.  
  
"The Battousai," the other man finished for his partner.  
  
The man dropped his blade in the snow and turned to run.  
  
He looked back over his shoulder and saw the Battousai disappear.  
  
The man smirked thinking he had gotten away but his thoughts changed when he caught the sight of something shimmering.  
  
That was the last thing he saw before he was beheaded like his partner.  
  
The Hitokiri watched as the man's head rolled across the snow.  
  
He smirked then remembered that his other half's woman had been dropped over the edge of the cliff.  
  
Wanting to know if she survived, he decided to investigate.  
  
When he got there it didn't look as if she had made it.  
  
He leaned over the edge of the cliff to see if her mangled body was lying on the rocks below.  
  
There was a scraping sound and he saw fingers gripping the ledge.  
  
Kat had heard the noise above her stop and tried to pull herself up.  
  
The snow and rock under her fingers shifted and she slipped farther.  
  
The Battousai leaned over to see the naked girl hanging onto the cliff by one arm.  
  
His sneered at her.  
  
Kat was surprised to see the Hitokiri leaning over her and her surprise caused her to slip more.  
  
He lifted an eyebrow, "Having fun?"  
  
Kat felt like screaming at him but she just couldn't.  
  
He had no feelings; (at least none he knew about) therefore could care less who he left behind, even if it was his other half's woman.  
  
Kat's arm had lost all feeling in it, "They raped me Battousai."  
  
He paused, no one deserved that treatment.  
  
He threw his blood stained swords down into the snow and began to walk back to the cliff.  
  
There was a scream as her fingers finally slipped of the edge.  
  
(A/N: I'm not that evil! *dodges tomatoes and rocks* I'm sorry it took me so long to post! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	16. Over the edge

Yawn. *Nods off and begins to drool. Keyboard fizzes.* Sh*t!  
  
I'm changing the plot a little bit. I'm making the Battousai a different person from Kenshin. The Battousai knows important things that have happened in Kenshin's life but he also doesn't know everything. Since I've been so evil, I'm posting this early. Hope you enjoy! BTW: does anyone ever read these things?  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 16  
  
The smirk on his face slipped off.  
  
A tidal wave of fear swept over him.  
  
Knowing that there was no time to spare he leapt off the edge of the cliff.  
  
Kat was dimly aware of an arm wrapping around her waist.  
  
Using pure speed, he flipped and his foot caught a rock.  
  
He hissed in pain and saw that they had almost reached the ground.  
  
His gi and hakama flapped and billowed in the wind as it rushed past them.  
  
Kat's vision gave way to darkness as she passed out.  
  
'Great, she's unconscious.' The ground rushed up to meet them and the Hitokiri braced himself for the impact.  
  
His bad foot hit the ground first and he almost fell over from the pain.  
  
Using his good foot, he launched them back into the air.  
  
He used missing pieces of the cliff as foot holds and brought them back over the side.  
  
His mind reeled. 'She's been raped? Why wasn't I there to save her? I promised that I'd always save her, always protect her but look what happened.'  
  
He laid her unconscious body against the soft snow and took off his gi to cover her.  
  
'The house Tomoe and I stayed in should be close by.' He spotted a marker that lead to it.  
  
It began to snow again and he noticed that there would be a blizzard coming.  
  
He picked up Kat and took off in the direction of the house.  
  
^_^  
  
The sweet smell of a living room fire filled her senses and dragged her out of unconsciousness.  
  
Kat's eyes fluttered open and she shook her head to clear her thoughts.  
  
She remembered what had happened and instantly drew the blankets tighter to her.  
  
Kat sniffled and tears began to streak her face.  
  
An arm was placed around her shoulders and she yelped at being touched.  
  
The Hitokiri quickly drew his arm away and frowned at her.  
  
It was as if he had just slapped her.  
  
He knew she would be self conscious after what happened and he scolded himself for not remembering.  
  
"Are you hungry?" he asked in the sweetest voice he could muster.  
  
She continued to stare blankly at the ground, tears still dripping off her chin.  
  
He sighed, it wasn't like him to apologize but she needed to hear it, "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I know I promised I'd protect you and I never meant to break it."  
  
Kat choked down a sob and whispered, "It was your fault."  
  
He was taken aback, surprised that she had spoken so harshly.  
  
His amber eyes blazed angrily at her but said nothing.  
  
Kat shivered under the blankets as if she were still out in the cold.  
  
The Hitokiri caught the movement and reached out to comfort her.  
  
Kat shied away from him but he caught her in his embrace.  
  
She was shocked to see the Hitokiri hugging her but she still didn't want to be touched,  
  
"Let go!" she whimpered and struggled.  
  
"I'm so sorry."  
  
Kat's tears increased as she tried to make him let go.  
  
She elbowed him in the stomach and scooted over to the corner of the room where she continued to cry.  
  
He felt as if he could kick himself for being so stupid.  
  
He stood up, angry at himself, and went to walk out of the room.  
  
His bandaged foot went unnoticed as he hobbled past Kat.  
  
She cowered like a beaten puppy as he walked past her and even the fearless manslayer felt sorry for her.  
  
(A/N: Ok, I've made it so that the Battousai isn't the exact same person as Kenshin. They share some of the same memories but not all of them. I'm sorry if the Battousai is a little more like Inuyasha than a cold blooded killer but I haven't seen enough of the Battousai or heard him speak enough to be able to create dialogue that sounds like him. After all, it's like Sanosuke says, "Swords speak louder than words." PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	17. Tomoe's Diary

Got a new bowl for my fishy. That's about it besides that I have my own website now so please check it out! BTW: Does anyone know how to add bold and italics to this? I've tried to but it NEVER shows up!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 17  
  
There was a slight rustle in the next room as a page was flipped over.  
  
Kat had cried herself to sleep and Kenshin had taken the opportunity to examine the house.  
  
He had found an interesting book and was reading it through.  
  
His foot was bandaged and carefully tucked under his body.  
  
His frown deepened as he continued to read.  
  
The book fell from his hands and hit the floor.  
  
Warm liquid dripped onto his arm and he unconsciously touched a hand to his scar.  
  
He drew it away and was surprised to see blood on his fingers.  
  
The shocking new material raced through his mind.  
  
A faint rustle came from behind him.  
  
He whirled around blade drawn.  
  
Kat felt the metal of his sword press against her neck and the cut from before reopened.  
  
His eyes blazed with anger at being snuck up on.  
  
He didn't know if he was angrier at her or himself.  
  
He quickly with drew his blade and resheathed it.  
  
"It's bleeding again."  
  
He reached up touched his scar again, "I know."  
  
She reached up to wipe away the blood.  
  
He snatched her hand and hissed coldly, "I don't need your help."  
  
"I wish you'd stop pushing me away," she murmured.  
  
He sat there, dumbfounded as she reached up to clean his cheek again.  
  
Kat thought about what she was doing and the corners of her mouth lifted in a small smile. 'I'm sitting here, cleaning off the best swordsman in Japan's face. And he's letting me do it.'  
  
Kenshin was even more shocked when he saw her small smile. 'She's feeling better.'  
  
"When will your eyes return to normal?" she asked.  
  
"They can stay like that for several days," he replied.  
  
He spied her neck, "Did I do that?"  
  
"No, but you did reopen it."  
  
Something about the way she said that made him close up a bit.  
  
"Good," he muttered.  
  
Kat stopped cleaning his face, hurt a bit from his words.  
  
She spied the book he was reading and picked it up.  
  
He snatched the book back but not before Kat recognized what it was.  
  
"Tomoe's diary."  
  
He stiffened, "How do you know?"  
  
"I've seen it before."  
  
He glared questioningly at her.  
  
Kat realized something, "You're not Kenshin are you?"  
  
"No shit Sherlock," he muttered.  
  
"So you don't know how I know about Tomoe?" she asked.  
  
He glared at her, "Isn't it past your bed time?"  
  
"You're the same age as me," she said bluntly.  
  
"Well, if you think it's time for bed," Kat said with a mischievous grin on her face, "Then let's go."  
  
She grabbed his gi and began to pull him back into the living room.  
  
There was something that sounded like an 'Oro?!' as Kat dragged him over the bottom of the door frame.  
  
She dropped him next to the fire and noticed that he was out cold.  
  
'Well, at least I know he's Kenshin again.'  
  
(A/N: Ok so Kenshin and the Battousai share different memories. Just remember that they are the same person, just different sides. PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	18. But you weren't there for me

Oh yah, I forgot to mention, Kenshin can see everything the battousai does but the battousai can't see everything he does.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 17  
  
Kat watched Kenshin sleep.  
  
The muscles in his face had slackened making him look ten years younger.  
  
The fire had died down but it was snowing too hard to go outside and Kat was afraid to use any wood from the house to rebuild the fire.  
  
Kenshin stirred a bit and yawned.  
  
"Sleep well?" Kat asked.  
  
Kenshin looked down and almost had a heart attack.  
  
Kat was laying on a futon next to him only about six inches away.  
  
To his relief, she was fully clothed as was he.  
  
"Yes," he smiled.  
  
"How's your foot?" Kat asked.  
  
He wiggled his toes and a white hot pain shot up his leg, "Sprained."  
  
"Sprained? I just saw you sitting on it," Kat said.  
  
He rubbed his head and yawned again.  
  
"How do we fix it?"  
  
"Well it should heal itself in a week," Kenshin said.  
  
"A week?!" Kat exclaimed.  
  
"It's not like I haven't done it before," he protested.  
  
Kat remembered something, "Oh no!"  
  
She jumped up, "I forgot about Inuyasha!"  
  
"He's fine. He's fully healed and back at the hut," Kenshin said while sitting up.  
  
"How do you know?" Kat asked.  
  
"Wished," he said casually.  
  
"Shouldn't we go back to the hut?" Kat asked.  
  
"Not now, that snow storm is gonna last for a few days and I can't do anything with this foot."  
  
"Couldn't I drag you back after the storm?"  
  
"The drifts will be too high to get out of the house. We'll have to wait until it melts."  
  
"Then what will we eat?"  
  
A short table covered end to end with food appeared.  
  
"Oh," Kat said, "Forgot about that."  
  
He turned his gaze to her, "What about you? Are you ok?"  
  
Kat's gaze fell to the floor, "Fine."  
  
"Freaked out, Insomniac, Neurotic, or Ecstatic?" he asked.  
  
She frowned at him.  
  
"Are you ok?" he asked again.  
  
She sat down, "No."  
  
"Want to tell me what happened?" he asked.  
  
She snorted, "What do you think?"  
  
He flinched at her tone, "I'm sorry."  
  
She turned around, "It's not your fault.."  
  
"But I promised you that I'd always be there-"  
  
"But you weren't you?!" she almost yelled at him.  
  
He sighed, "No I wasn't."  
  
Kat lightened up a bit to see how sorry he was.  
  
She was about to tell him she was sorry too when he stopped her.  
  
"Was my other side reading Tomoe's diary?" he asked.  
  
"Yah, I think he just found out that Tomoe betrayed him," Kat paused, "Are you ok?"  
  
Kenshin frowned, "huh?"  
  
"The people you killed. Why did you do it?" Kat asked.  
  
A dark expression replaced his frown, "The Battousai wished for excitement. That's how we came to be here. He didn't expect you to follow this far. You gave him a run for his money."  
  
"There's something else bothering me," Kat said.  
  
"Let me guess, you're wondering if the Battousai has feelings for you?"  
  
Kat nodded.  
  
"We'll if he does, I'll be the first to know."  
  
"Kenshin!" Kat yelled.  
  
"Ok! Ok!" he said dodging pillows, "But you'll have to find out from him."  
  
"Kenshin!" Kat yelled again.  
  
He threw his hands up to avoid anymore pillows, "If you want to know, you'll have to ask. Besides, I wouldn't know. We don't share all of our thoughts."  
  
"You could have just said that to avoid the pillows," Kat pointed out.  
  
"Oro?!"  
  
(A/N: I wasted all my talent on writing an anime slasher story for shadow stalker today so don't blame me for the cruddy chappie ending. PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	19. Silver spirit

You guys are so evil! I've waited what, like 3 weeks and I've only gotten 2 reviews! *Huffs and turns an angry shade of red* BTW: I've decided to add two chapters today. This is the second one.  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 19  
  
Kat awoke to the sound of snoring the next morning.  
  
She had tried everything to ignore it but it just kept getting louder.  
  
Kat finally sat up and growled.  
  
Kenshin would pay for waking her up.  
  
Kat was definitely not a morning person.  
  
She armed her self with a pillow and prepared to strike the lump she assumed was Kenshin curled up on the floor.  
  
Kat sneered as she raised the pillow over her head.  
  
Then her sneer dropped off her face entirely.  
  
There was a black something sticking out of the sheets of his bed.  
  
She was about to reach for it when there was a flash and rustle of clothing.  
  
Kat met the eyes of a worried Kenshin, "Don't touch that."  
  
"What is it?" she asked Kenshin who was now sitting next to her.  
  
"It's a wolf," Kenshin said.  
  
"A wolf?! What?" Kat asked.  
  
Kenshin motioned for her to be quiet and lifted the sheets.  
  
Kat let out a squeak of excitement and instantly regretted it.  
  
The massive black wolf stirred and a growl sounded behind her.  
  
"Don't move," Kenshin warned.  
  
Kat nodded and Kenshin drew his swords.  
  
There was what sounded like a growl of protest and Kat shivered.  
  
Kenshin drew an arm around her and she studied the sword that was a mere inches away from her face.  
  
The black wolf sucked in a long breath and opened its eyes.  
  
The golden eyes of the wolf met hers and she recognized them.  
  
"Kenshin," Kat tried.  
  
He signaled that he didn't think it was a good idea to talk.  
  
Kat ignored him and stretched out a hand to pet the wolf.  
  
Kenshin's blade flashed in warning and Kat drew her hand back when the wolf growled.  
  
The golden eyes wolf watched in amusement.  
  
Kat shot Kenshin a 'trust-me' look and reached out again.  
  
She held her hand in front of the wolf's massive head and waited to see what would happen.  
  
The wolf stared at her hand a moment then sniffed it, taking in her scent and analyzing it.  
  
After a moment the wolf made up its mind and Kat hoped that her hand would stay on her arm.  
  
The wolf opened its massive mouth and rows of sharp teeth shown in the sunlight.  
  
Kenshin was still watching and was not pleased to see the wolf open its mouth.  
  
Kat's hand twitched in fear and she awaited the wolf's decision.  
  
The wolf watched grinning its doggy grin and made its move.  
  
Kat closed her eyes as the wolf bent its head.  
  
She felt relieved when she felt a coarse warm toung lick her hand.  
  
She cracked an eye open and smiled.  
  
The black wolf looked up at her then glanced at a baffled Kenshin.  
  
"They won't hurt us," Kat stated.  
  
Another soft growl came from behind them and Kenshin turned to see a massive white wolf.  
  
The white wolf had amethyst eyes and Kenshin knew in an instant whose they belonged, "They- they're..."  
  
'Yours?' finished a voice.  
  
Kat twitched, "Was that just me, or did you hear a voice in your head?"  
  
'It's no dream.' the voice assured.  
  
"Who are you?" Kat asked.  
  
The white wolf whined.  
  
'We're right in front of you.' the black wolf gave a yip.  
  
"Oro?!" Kenshin asked.  
  
"You're talking wolves?" Kat asked sarcastically.  
  
'Keh, not wolves. We're spirits in the form of wolves. We know that Katsura enjoys these animals.'  
  
"You're Kenshin's spirit right?" Kat asked.  
  
'I'm happy you recognized us Miss Kat.'  
  
"How could I not? You have Kenshin's eyes."  
  
The white wolf broke out in a doggy grin 'But I bet you didn't know that we're part of his very soul too now did you?'  
  
"What?" asked Kenshin.  
  
'Like Suzaku said' the black wolf jerked his head to the white one 'we're part of his soul.'  
  
"So what are you doing here?" Kenshin asked.  
  
'You wished us here whether you think you did or not.' Suzaku stated.  
  
"So are you here to protect us?" Kat asked.  
  
'In some way's yes, but in others no. Kageunsei' the white wolf motioned to the black wolf 'for example, is here to aid the battousai in becoming stronger.'  
  
"Why would we want that?" Kat asked, nervous.  
  
'You know the reason Katsura.' Kageunsei said 'Don't worry, Kenshin can't hear me now. And yes, I can read your thoughts.'  
  
Kat gasped, "You can read my thoughts?!"  
  
Kenshin frowned. 'Not good.'  
  
'And why is that?'  
  
"For that exact reason, you can read my thoughts!" he almost shouted.  
  
'But you have nothing to hide; we know all your secrets.'  
  
Kenshin glared at them while Kat asked, "Are you hurt?"  
  
Suzaku answered for Kageunsei 'In some ways yes, we both are. You see, we are made up from Kenshin and the Battousai's spirit and soul. Sure, Kenshin is strong, quick and agile but his spirit is made up of who he really is. The Battousai and the Rurouni have fought a war against each other for many years now and it has left both sides of his soul wounded. As Kageunsei said, he is the Battousai's spirit and I am the Rurouni's. It is time to decide which spirit wins.'  
  
"So why are you a girl?" Kenshin asked Suzaku flatly.  
  
Sakura scoffed and muttered sarcastically 'Didn't you always want to be a girl when you grew up?'  
  
Kenshin glared while Kat giggled.  
  
'Enough.' Kageunsei said to Kat to stop her giggling 'Battousai, don't you ever get tired of this? How can you stand being around someone like this? You could just kill h-'  
  
"Enough," the Battousai's cold voice snapped.  
  
Kat buried her face in Kenshin's gi and her muffled voice came to his ears, "Battousai, Kenshin whoever I'm talking to, I want you to know that I think neither of you should win. Your friends all like you just the way you are and so do I."  
  
'But there must be a winner.' Suzaku said 'There is no other way.'  
  
(A/N: You're so evil! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	20. Oro's and California rolls

If you ever see the name Sakura anywhere, I meant to put Suzaku there. I just mix up the names! I'm so happy you guys reviewed so quickly! You know that if you review twice it still counts as two reviews! Even if you review my other stories it still counts as a review for this one! So..  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 20  
  
"No other way?!" Kat screeched, "No other way?!"  
  
'Calm down.' Kageunsei growled.  
  
"CALM DOWN!?" she yelled again, "HOW CAN I BE CALM? YOU'RE HERE TO DECIDE THE FATE OF THE GUY I LO-"  
  
Kat stopped mid sentence.  
  
Everyone in the room was staring patiently at her waiting for Kat to calm down, "Kenshin, what do you have to say?"  
  
He resheathed his swords, "I knew that it would have to happen one day."  
  
Kat growled, still angry and asked, "Kenshin, if you're foot's broken, how can you be sitting on it?"  
  
Kenshin paused a moment before answering, "I can't."  
  
He fell over with a small oro?  
  
Kat rolled her eyes and wondered how she could have fallen for someone as strange as Kenshin.  
  
With the tense mood broken and knowing that things would eventually be solved Kat stood up and asked, "Hungry anyone?"  
  
'Yes, that would be nice.' Suzaku said.  
  
Kageunsei and Kenshin said nothing.  
  
Kat wandered off to the kitchen in search of something good to eat.  
  
Suzaku stood up and followed her.  
  
The door to the storage room squeaked open and Kat began to rummage for something that hadn't gone bad.  
  
She heard metal thudding against fur and turned to see what it was.  
  
Suzaku had followed her into the storage room wearing a large Egyptian necklace that Kat hadn't noticed before.  
  
Suzaku moved closer and Kat noticed that it was the necklace making dull thuds against the wolf's well muscled chest.  
  
'There's nothing that hasn't spoiled here,' the wolf said.  
  
"How do you know?" Kat asked.  
  
'I have a sixth sense and the ability to wish. If you come back to the kitchen I can get us some California rolls.'  
  
"Sounds good. I hate sushi," Kat said.  
  
'I know.'  
  
Kat closed the storage door and followed the silvery white wolf back into the kitchen.  
  
Four bowls of Ramen and a tray of California rolls appeared on the table on a silver tray.  
  
Suzaku let out a yip as she left the room.  
  
Kat gasped as the tray levitated and followed Suzaku out of the room.  
  
'Maybe I'll wake up. Maybe it's just a dream.' Kat thought.  
  
She walked out of the room and joined the others.  
  
Kenshin had recovered from his last oro and was sitting on his futon, rubbing his foot.  
  
Kageunsei was staring blankly at a window.  
  
Suzaku sat herself down next to Kenshin and the tray placed itself at her feet.  
  
"Neat trick," Kat said.  
  
'Hungry?' Suzaku asked Kenshin.  
  
"How could I resist Ramen?" he said.  
  
Suzaku whined and wagged her tail.  
  
Kageunsei snapped his gaze from the window to his white counterpart I'm not hungry.  
  
"Even the battousai needs to eat," Kat pointed out.  
  
She picked up a bowl and stuck it under Kageunsei's nose, "Eat."  
  
He glared at her 'I don't obey anyone.'  
  
The bowl disappeared with a snap and the black wolf directed his gaze to the window again.  
  
Kat sighed began to absently scratch the black wolf's ears.  
  
'Don't do that,' the wolf growled.  
  
Kat ignored him and smiled evilly when she saw his foot twitch.  
  
She began to scratch harder and the foot began to pick up speed.  
  
'Stop,' the wolf warned.  
  
Kat sighed and moved her hands to the wolf's shoulders.  
  
She gently massaged the tense muscles and felt them relax under her touch.  
  
'Since when did you know massage?' Suzaku asked.  
  
"It's something I've always done," Kat replied, moving her fingers through the coarse fur.  
  
She stopped massaging Kageunsei's shoulders and moved over to Kenshin, "How's your foot?"  
  
"Not any better than it was before," Kenshin muttered.  
  
Kat frowned, "Just asking."  
  
A silence fell over the small crowd only broken by the occasional click of chopsticks of the lapping from Suzaku's attempts at eating Ramen.  
  
When they finished, the bowls disappeared and the group was silent again.  
  
Kat finally broke the silence with, "When this blizzard ends, can you two help us get back to the Hut?"  
  
'I suppose, but the only way we can get him back is by sled. Like Kenshin, there are only certain things we can wish for.' Suzaku said.  
  
Kat nodded and asked, "Can you start a fire? It's getting cold."  
  
'That we can do. How big do you want it?'  
  
(A/N: Give me a break! I just needed a way to end the chapter! I know this chappie was short but if you review I can post the next one faster! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	21. Ponderings

WHAT IS IT WITH U PEOPLE (I'm not talking about Crecy, Jim, or Tanya)?! I'VE ONLY GOTTEN 2 REVIEWS FOR THE LAST CHAPTER! HAVE YOU LOST INTEREST OR ARE YOU JUST TOO DAMN LAZY?! I WANT TO KNOW IF YOU PEOPLE LIKE THE CHAPTERS ALL I'M ASKING IS THAT YOU...  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 20  
  
Kat watched the large fire hiss and crackle.  
  
She liked the way the house had a fire pit in the center of the room.  
  
Suzaku had her huge four foot long puffy tail curled against her and was sleeping soundly.  
  
Kageunsei was staring blankly at the fire; mesmerized by the way the flames danced and flickered.  
  
Kenshin was leaned against a wall, bangs draped to cover his face, half asleep.  
  
The snow storm continued on outside and Kat could hear its howling raging voice.  
  
It was cold and Suzaku had helped Kat drag out all the blankets in the house.  
  
Kat snuggled deeper into her cocoon of blankets.  
  
Even though Kat had the most blankets on, she was still cold.  
  
She tried to stand up but her legs were tangled in the blankets and she ended up falling onto her side.  
  
Kat struggled to get out of her cocoon but with no luck.  
  
The fire crackled and sent small sparks flying.  
  
Kat got an idea on how to move and she shifted her weight to the right side of the bundle.  
  
The bundle tipped and she began to roll towards Kenshin.  
  
Kat and her cocoon stopped against him and he opened an eye, "Having fun?"  
  
Kat huffed, "I can't move!"  
  
Kenshin snorted and grabbed the end of a blanket.  
  
He sat Kat upright and yanked on it.  
  
She spun around a few times, sliding on the floor in small circles, before she was untangled.  
  
"Thanks," she said dizzily.  
  
Kenshin smiled and pulled her to him.  
  
He wrapped the discarded blankets around them and Kat felt suddenly warm.  
  
She laid her head on his shoulder and could feel each breath he took.  
  
"Kenshin?" Kat asked.  
  
He felt a lock of her hair silky shift on his chest as Kat shifted to meet his gaze, "Yes?"  
  
"What will happen if the Battousai wins? Will you leave me forever?" Kat asked, tears forming at the thought.  
  
Kageunsei flicked an ear towards them, intent on eavesdropping.  
  
He sighed deeply, "To tell you the truth? I might."  
  
Kat was pained at the sadness his voice carried across the room.  
  
Kenshin flicked his gaze away from Kat.  
  
Her eyes held so much pain that he could hardly bear to look into them.  
  
Kageunsei picked up the first sound of her sobs.  
  
It hit him just then how much she loved both halves of this man. 'Maybe there is another way.'  
  
"Don't leave me my sweet Rurouni..."  
  
(A/N: *Yawns* This story still has a long way to go. I hope you're enjoying it! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	22. Breaking the ice

I'm gonna go kick Tanya's butt for not reviewing. It may be 12:30am but I've still got enough energy! I think...*dozes off*  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
*A week has passed since the when last chapter took place.*  
  
Chapter 22  
  
Kat awoke leaning against the wall as she had found her self that way the past few days.  
  
Something wet and sticky was coating her shoulder and she turned her shoulder to see what it was.  
  
Kat let out a piercing shriek.  
  
A huge wolf head was resting against her shoulder and it was drooling.  
  
There was a click and a flash.  
  
The wolf was startled and its eyes fluttered open, 'Never was a morning spirit but do I really look that bad?'  
  
Suzaku pulled her tong back into her mouth and got off Kat.  
  
Kat heard laughing and turned to see what it was.  
  
Kenshin and Kageunsei were sitting on the floor with a camera perched between them.  
  
To her horror a single picture was making its way out of the camera.  
  
'That's a keeper. It's also a side she shouldn't show other people.'  
  
Kat wandered over and smacked the wolf upside the head.  
  
The picture was taken at the exact moment Kat had screamed and looked quite hilarious.  
  
Kageunsei growled, 'I didn't take the picture.'  
  
"Then who did?" Kat demanded, "Was it you Kenshin?"  
  
He shook his head, "I don't do pranks this early in the morning."  
  
There was more snickering and everyone in the room turned to see who it was.  
  
White hair shone in the light and golden eyes laughed at the four others, "I took it."  
  
"Inuyasha!" Kat exclaimed.  
  
The hanyou grinned, "I came to see what you guys were up to. We got the letter telling us how things were. I'm glad the snow melted so we can take you guys back to the hut."  
  
"So nice to see you again Inuyasha! Who else is back at the hut?" Kat asked.  
  
"Tanya is the only one there right now," he said, "So, you want to go back?"  
  
"Yes, but we need some time to get packed," Kenshin said.  
  
'We'll be waiting for you outside. The sled will be ready by then. Take as much time as you need,' Suzaku said.  
  
Kat nodded then said to Kenshin, "I didn't think there was anything I needed to pack."  
  
Kenshin flushed, "There are some things I need to pack."  
  
"Oh," Kat said.  
  
She followed him to what used to be his room.  
  
He wished for a suitcase and laid it on the floor.  
  
Kat helped Kenshin by packing some of his gi and hakama.  
  
When they finished with his room they walked down the hallway together.  
  
Kenshin hesitated at the door to Tomoe's room for a few seconds before continuing to the kitchen.  
  
Kat wrapped sake cups and packed chopsticks into the fattening suitcase.  
  
They worked in silence both wondering what the other was thinking.  
  
They finished with the other rooms and dragged the suitcase out to the sled.  
  
Kageunsei muttered curses about how he had been reduced to a pack mule and snapped at his harness.  
  
Suzaku waited patiently in her harness and Kat walked up to her.  
  
"Looks beautiful," Kat said admiring the sled.  
  
'Glad you like it.'  
  
Kat checked the traces to make sure they weren't tangled and ran her hand along Kageunsei's harness to make sure it hadn't snapped.  
  
"I'm going to see if I missed anything," Kenshin announced as he disappeared into the house.  
  
"I'll go with him," Kat told the others.  
  
Inuyasha muttered about how slow the two were.  
  
Kat wandered down the hall and poked her head into Tomoe's room.  
  
She was surprised to see Kenshin in there, reading Tomoe's diary.  
  
Kat walked over and read over and began to read over his shoulder.  
  
Kenshin sensed her presence and snapped the book shut.  
  
Kat backed away startled.  
  
"We'll bring this with us," he said in an empty tone.  
  
Kat studied him a moment, "It still hurts even after all these years?"  
  
Kenshin's eyes narrowed, "How could it not?"  
  
Kat understood but was still troubled, "Do you still love her?"  
  
There was a long pause and Kat felt she knew the answer.  
  
She barked out a sharp laugh at the irony, "You know Inuyasha told he loved me right before I went looking for you?"  
  
Kenshin lifted his gaze from the book to look into the stormy eyes of Kat, "What did you say?"  
  
She decided to play a trick on him, "I didn't get to say anything. We were interrupted."  
  
Kenshin frowned, "What did you want to say?"  
  
Kat paused and acted like she was thinking hard about it.  
  
"You two waiting for Christmas or are we going?" Inuyasha yelled.  
  
"Mind if I take these with me?" Kat asked motioning to a box of Tomoe's best writing brushes.  
  
Kenshin paused before giving her a curt nod and leaving the room.  
  
Kat caught up to him at the sled and tried to help into it.  
  
He jerked his arm away from her and climbed in without help.  
  
Kat handed him the set of brushes and watched him slide them onto a pocket of the suitcase.  
  
Kat stood on the back of the runners and grabbed on to the handle of the sled, "Gi!"  
  
'Can you drive?' Kageunsei asked.  
  
"My father used to own a team. I've learned everything I know from him. Now gi!" Kat yelled.  
  
The wolves lunged right (I think that gi means right, haw left, mush go, unbi keep going, and ho stop).  
  
"Haw!" Kat commanded.  
  
The pair of wolves threw their weight to the left and there was a loud splintering as the runners broke free from the ice that had frozen the sled to the ground.  
  
"Now mush!" Kat yelled.  
  
The two wolves lunged forward and their hard-as-steel muscled rippled.  
  
The sled began to pick up speed and Inuyasha began to jog alongside Kat.  
  
The sled glided over the snow with surprising ease and Kat was happy to see that the movement of the sled wasn't hurting Kenshin's foot.  
  
"Haw!" Kat said.  
  
She shifted her weight into the turn and watched the wolves plow through the snow, sending it flying.  
  
They charged on and Kat loved the icy feel of the cool crisp wind against her cheeks.  
  
Kat yelled, "Unbi!" When she saw Kageunsei try to go after a rabbit they had flushed out of its winter home.  
  
The wolf yipped at the rabbit as if to say 'you got off this time but for you there might not be a next time!'  
  
Inuyasha had taken to the tree tops to avoid snow drifts since he was fed up with plowing through them.  
  
Kat smiled to herself and thought, 'I can't wait to get back!'  
  
(A/N: Sorry if I mixed up the musher's phrases! If you know what they are, just tell me and I'll fix em'! Hope you liked it! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	23. Tanya and the spirits of the forest

I'm so proud of you! I've AUCTUALLY gotten the 5 reviews I needed for this chapter! My eternal thanks to Crecy & Jim Hawking Jr. for reviewing every chapter so far!!! I'd also like to thank Aharah Musici for telling me how to use italics and bold in my fan fiction. Unfortunately, I don't have a program that does HTML format and even if I did, I still prefer to use Microsoft word. Thanks to all my other reviewers too! *hugs you*  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 23  
  
Inuyasha, Kat, Kenshin, Kageunsei and Suzaku arrived at the hut at sunset.  
  
Tanya had heard the playful yips from the wolves as they had come out of the forest and had wandered out to see what was going on.  
  
A black wolf came through the clearing.  
  
To call the wolf just simply black was a kind of insult.  
  
The color of the wolf's fur was darker than charcoal or the color of the sky at midnight.  
  
It was so dark, it looked almost supernatural.  
  
It had golden eyes that had the same familiar hue as the Battousai's.  
  
The first wolf was joined by a second.  
  
The other wolf was white.  
  
A pure color that was so white, it surpassed the whitest sheet of paper or snow.  
  
This wolf had purple eyes that also matched the tint of Kenshin's.  
  
What was strange about the two wolves was that they seemed to be the exact opposite of each other.  
  
The black one melted with the shadows while the white one had no shadow.  
  
The white wolf trotted over to Tanya and the black one paused at the clearing of the forest.  
  
The wolves sat down and pointed their noses to the sky.  
  
Their harmonic melody cascaded over the land.  
  
The black one's heartrending cry swept through the forest.  
  
Their song melted together into one distressing but stunning song.  
  
They suddenly stopped and turned their gazes to the forest.  
  
The black wolf turned its gaze back to Tanya and seemed to glare at her for a moment before directing its gaze back to the forest.  
  
Tanya wondered what the wolves could be staring at.  
  
She approached the gleaming ivory wolf and stroked its mane.  
  
It was smooth, too smooth.  
  
No animal's fur could possibly be that was that soft and silky.  
  
'I've got to be dreaming! Am I going crazy? Since when were wolves this friendly?'  
  
A gust of bitter cold wind swept across the clearing.  
  
The black wolf had crept up to Tanya when she wasn't paying attention and sat down next to her.  
  
Tanya untied the jacket she was wearing from her waist and cringed when her hand grazed the coarse hair of the ebony wolf.  
  
Another gust of frigid wind blew over the group and Tanya shivered.  
  
A sliding and scraping sound came from within the woods and she swore she heard curses.  
  
The sounds were coming closer and she recognized the cursing, "Inuyasha!"  
  
He burst from the clearing wearing a harness and pulling a sled.  
  
Tanya stared bewildered at the scene.  
  
Kenshin was trying to keep from falling out of the sled while Kat was trying to keep it from tipping over while Inuyasha was tearing at the harness he was strapped into.  
  
The white wolf barked in greeting and watched as the sled tipped over.  
  
Kat jumped off the sled before it could tip all the way and Inuyasha just stood there as the harness he was wearing ripped off from the weight of the sled.  
  
Kenshin, as unlucky as he was, had gotten his foot caught in the tresses and was hidden from sight as the sled toppled over.  
  
All the items that had been on the sled were now strewn about in the snow.  
  
Blankets were peeking out from the wreck and a few gi had managed to come unpacked.  
  
Kat sat up and spit out a mouthful of snow.  
  
Inuyasha rushed over and helped her up then carried her to the sled.  
  
Kat jumped out of his arms and Inuyasha tipped the sled over.  
  
"I knew it was a bad idea to let you steer!" Kat growled to him.  
  
"Well it would be a lot easier if I didn't have a backseat driver!" he snapped.  
  
"Backseat driver?! That is what a musher is supposed to do!" Kat hissed.  
  
Inuyasha lifted the suitcase and placed it back on the sled.  
  
Kat gasped when she saw Kenshin.  
  
He was face down in the snow and wasn't moving.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed the back of his gi and hoisted him up.  
  
He set Kenshin on his feet and Kat watched as Kenshin spit out snow and gasp for breath.  
  
"Are you ok?!" Kat asked.  
  
"I'm fine," Kenshin said a little irritated.  
  
He swayed on his feet and said, "Then again, maybe I'm not. Oro?"  
  
He collapsed in the snow and Kat rolled her eyes.  
  
Suzaku trotted over and began to drag Kenshin back to the hut.  
  
"Tanya!" Kat exclaimed.  
  
She ran over to her friend and hugged her, "I missed you!"  
  
Tanya stood there, "What just happened?"  
  
Kat laughed, "It's a long story. Let's go inside."  
  
Inuyasha followed the girls and picked up the fourteen foot long Kageunsei by the scruff of the neck.  
  
The wolf growled in protest and snapped its jaws but Inuyasha continued to drag the wolf inside, "Come on, it's cold out here."  
  
(A/N: *cough, cough* So *sneeze!* I have a cold. (Or at least I did when I wrote this chapter *looks around innocently whistling*)Yahoo. PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	24. Lost in Thought

Sorry it took so long to post this! Blame Tanya! She promised to review but she chose to be a flake. So blame her not me! Going to try to post this in HTML format so you can read it with italics, etc. *frowns* not working!  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 24  
  
Tanya sat in front of the fire pit that the wolves had added to the floor and thought about what she had been told earlier.  
  
"So you're telling me that these wolves are spirits?" she had asked.  
  
"Well, it shouldn't be that unbelievable what with everything else we've been through," Kat had replied.  
  
Tanya sighed and gazed into the flames.  
  
Kenshin was still out cold and Kat had rewrapped his foot using the dust covered medical book that she had used previously to save his life.  
  
Inuyasha had fallen asleep after beginning to experience the effects of the new moon.  
  
It was the day before the new moon and he was more tired than usual.  
  
Tanya was happy to spend the past week at the hut.  
  
It was like reliving a dream to be back after so long.  
  
Everything was still intact and well kept since Inuyasha had been living there.  
  
Tanya would have expected it to be a mess since guys weren't the cleanest creatures on earth but she was surprised at how neat the hanyou was.  
  
She hugged her knees and her mind wandered back to Jason. (A/N: Did I mention him yet? Sorry if I didn't, he's Tanya's crush.)  
  
Kat had disappeared a few hours ago and was now in her room asleep on a futon setup next to Kenshin's.  
  
Something warm rubbed against Tanya's face.  
  
She looked down to see Suzaku looking eagerly at her.  
  
The wolf was so white, her fur reflected the moon light and gave it have an eerie glow.  
  
The black mass behind Tanya shifted and if it weren't for the Kageunsei's eyes, the wolf would be almost impossible to see.  
  
Her stomach growled.  
  
Suzaku seemed to smile and there was a soft rustling sound.  
  
A cup of hot chocolate appeared in front of her.  
  
'Hope you like it with lots of chocolate.'  
  
Tanya jumped not being used to the way the wolves communicated and nodded, "It's the only way to have coco."  
  
'Why are you still awake?' Kageunsei asked, slightly annoyed.  
  
"Does everything I do bother you?" Tanya snapped.  
  
'Yes' he replied flatly.  
  
Tanya huffed, "My life is so weird."  
  
Suzaku whined 'You enjoy it though.'  
  
Tanya nodded in agreement and set her mug down.  
  
She watched the steam coming off it for a few more minutes before standing up, "Well, I'm going to bed."  
  
She looked out the window to see that it was snowing again and shivered.  
  
Suzaku nodded to show that she was listening to Tanya and curled up against her black friend.  
  
Kageunsei shifted and leaned away in protest but his white friend was fast asleep.  
  
He heaved a sigh and the fire snuffed out.  
  
He didn't feel tired but he also didn't want to wake Suzaku so he laid his head on his paws and shut his eyes to think.  
  
The house creaked from the wind that gusted outside and all was quiet.  
  
(A/N: I love snow. Well I tried to post it in HTML but it just doesn't work! Yah, so PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	25. Burning Up

Sorry it took so long to post!!! My internet was down for the last few days. At least this forced me to write a few more chapters! LOL  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 25  
  
Kat awoke with a start, as if her subconscious mind had awoken her because she needed to be awake.  
  
Her heart pounding frantically, she strained her ears and stretched out her senses, as the Battousai in her told her to do, trying to determine what had woken her and if she was in danger.  
  
Finally, she relaxed a bit.  
  
Relief washed through her as she placed a hand over her beating heart, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.  
  
There was nothing to worry about, just another nightmare.  
  
Kat rolled over and stared at Kenshin's bare back and red hair a moment before sitting up.  
  
She brushed Kenshin's bangs away from his face and used her hand to check if he had a fever.  
  
His forehead was burning and her heart raced.  
  
A bowl of soup appeared on a small tray in front of her.  
  
'He's hungry' a dark voice said.  
  
Kat noticed Kageunsei curled up in a corner watching her, "Thanks."  
  
Kat reached for the bowl and placed it in her lap.  
  
Kat paused a moment then froze.  
  
'Mayonaka is fine. He's with Sanosuke.'  
  
Kat nodded and felt relief wash over her once again.  
  
She opened Kenshin's mouth and placed the spoon to his lips.  
  
Then she rubbed his throat to get him to swallow.  
  
She did this until the bowl was empty.  
  
The tray disappeared with the bowl.  
  
Kat looked over Kenshin.  
  
His sleeping face seemed to be pained and there was a slight frown on it.  
  
Kat traced his scar with her finger tips.  
  
She let out a small sigh. 'It's just like when we first met five years ago.'  
  
Kenshin shifted in her lap.  
  
Kat gazed at him hoping that he'd wake up.  
  
Suzaku walked in and stretched.  
  
Kenshin opened his eyes and Suzaku growled.  
  
Kat's eyes widened in confusion and surprise.  
  
Golden eyes stared at her and blinked.  
  
"Kenshin, are you ok?" Kat asked.  
  
He used a hand to rub his head and then coughed "I don't know, that I don't."  
  
Kat frowned. 'He has the eyes of the Hitokiri but the sweetness of the Rurouni.'  
  
"Kenshin, what's going on?" she asked.  
  
He shook his head and blinked.  
  
His thoughts swirled and he gasped from the pain.  
  
Kat's frown deepened, "Kenshin?"  
  
'He's gonna pop' muttered Kageunsei.  
  
Kenshin quickly rolled over and vomited.  
  
The vomit disappeared and Kenshin stayed there, in half pushup position, both hands firmly on the ground before collapsing.  
  
Kat's swift battousai reflexes allowed her to catch Kenshin before he hit the wood floor.  
  
She held onto him a second longer, shocked, before lying his unconscious body back down.  
  
"What's wrong with him?!" Kat asked.  
  
Her finger tips grazed the back of his neck and the unnatural warmth made her shiver.  
  
'We couldn't tell you' Suzaku said.  
  
Kat looked back down at Kenshin. 'Please don't die!'  
  
(A/N: If you review I can post the next chapter sooner! It's getting to be annoying, the sequel's chapters are three times as long without double spacing so it makes me think, 'Where's the rest of the chapter?!' You guys will love the sequel! It's got a ton of new characters and new adventures! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	26. Discovery: A Possible Explanation

*Crys* You guys are so mean! I wanted to get 100 reviews on this story before I posted another chapter but I never got that last review! You guys owe me! (just kidding)  
  
PLEASE REVIEW!!!  
  
Chapter 25  
  
Everyone in the house left Kat alone that day.  
  
She had spent the entire morning and afternoon watching over Kenshin.  
  
It was weird to have Kenshin sick.  
  
Kat had wondered if he had ever had a fever before.  
  
'Kenshin should be the protector, not the protected.' Kat sighed as she wrung out the cloth and placed it back on Kenshin's face.  
  
She tucked a stray piece of hair back behind her ear.  
  
The fan that she had kept on all day was starting to get annoying.  
  
Her thoughts turned back to Kenshin.  
  
He hadn't regained consciousness all day and she was determined not to leave his side until he did.  
  
It was getting late and Kat watched the sun set from the window.  
  
She checked Kenshin's head again and almost shouted for joy.  
  
His fever had broken and his skin felt much cooler than it had all day.  
  
Kat smiled and yawned, now that she knew Kenshin was going to get better, she could turn her thoughts back on her needs.  
  
Kat yawned again and decided that she needed some sleep, she had spent the last night and all day watching over Kenshin and now she was tired.  
  
Kat moved her futon next to Kenshin's and connected the two knowing that it would be a sleepless night if she wasn't sleeping next to him.  
  
Kat snuggled against him and shut her eyes.  
  
Kenshin's eyes fluttered open.  
  
He felt much better and less hot than he had been all day.  
  
He spotted Kat next to him and smiled.  
  
She appeared to be sleeping soundly and had stolen most of the blankets.  
  
Kenshin spotted something sticking out of Kat's pocket and grabbed it.  
  
He smiled as he recognized the picture.  
  
"Humm. It's my favorite picture," Kat whispered.  
  
"You're awake?"  
  
Kat opened her eyes and yawned, "I've never been able to fall entirely asleep ever since we.uh.had um-"  
  
"Right," Kenshin said knowing what she was saying, "Where was this taken?"  
  
Kat looked closely at the picture and frowned, "I never thought much about it."  
  
Kenshin stared at it hard, "Isn't this the front of the hut?"  
  
"What?!" Kat snatched the picture.  
  
Sure enough, in the background was the porch and steps leading onto the hut.  
  
"Kat?" Kenshin asked getting her attention, "Who is that?"  
  
Kenshin pointed to a girl standing behind him half hidden by the folds in his hakama.  
  
Kat choked, "Why didn't I notice this? THAT'S ME!!!"  
  
Kenshin frowned, "How could it be you?"  
  
"How could this be a real picture?" Kat asked herself.  
  
She studied it closer, "Wait. That's not me."  
  
"Then who is it?" Kenshin asked.  
  
"It looks like..my grandmother. I remember now, her house looked almost the same as the hut because I built the hut to look like her house," Kat said.  
  
"What was your grandmother's name?"  
  
"Her last name was Seishi."  
  
"Seishi," Kenshin whispered, "That was the name of one of the families the battousai killed."  
  
"You killed my great grandfather?!" Kat yelled.  
  
"Now I remember. The family had been living near Tomoe and I. They were nice but the man of the house worked for a rival clan and one night I got the order to assonate him. The family had invited Tomoe and me over to try out a new machine now called a camera and we agreed. Your grandmother liked me a lot and I couldn't resist her pleas to take a picture with me. I suppose the photos were eventually developed and passed on to your grandmother who kept them as a family heirloom," Kenshin said.  
  
"I remember spilling a box of things I had inherited from her and it mixed with a bunch of printed out pictures so yours must have gotten mixed in with them. I didn't realize until now that the picture was a real one," Kat murmured.  
  
"But how could I have gotten the picture if you're uh. um. a-animated.?" Kat asked.  
  
Kenshin's brow twitched and he muttered, "I'm not animated. I'm a living breathing person."  
  
"Really? Then how do you explain the animated series, merchandise, cels and movies?" Kat muttered back.  
  
"Maybe the animated story was based on the real one? Maybe the animated sceries comes from real life?" Tanya suggested, poking her head in.  
  
"Tanya thanks for the advice but we need you to leave!" Kat said.  
  
"Fine, fine. I was just passing by," she muttered.  
  
"Kenshin, do you think that's true?" Kat asked.  
  
"What that I'm not animated? Isn't it kind of obvious that I'm not?" he asked.  
  
"But you two have the exact same personality and look the exact same too," Kat pointed out.  
  
Kenshin grabbed his head, "Can we talk about this later?"  
  
Kat nodded, "Your head still hurt?"  
  
"A little," he said.  
  
There was a loud snore from the corner and Kat turned her head to see Suzaku.  
  
Her foot was twitching and her teeth were bared.  
  
Kat laughed, "Catch that rabbit for me."  
  
Kenshin made to move out of the bed but Kat stopped him, "I know that you prefer to sleep in that corner but with a sprained foot and with you just getting over a fever, I think you'd be better off right here."  
  
"I can't sleep at all if I'm lying down," Kenshin pointed out.  
  
"Well, maybe with me here you'll change your mind?" Kat asked.  
  
"Oro?!"  
  
Kat laughed and buried herself back into the sheets.  
  
She closed her eyes and after a while she felt a strong arm wrap around her.  
  
She smiled and fell into a light nightmare free sleep.  
  
(A/N: Rockin to 'I'm no Angel' by Dido. My lame younger cousin suggested them to me and I downloaded one of their songs and instantly liked em'. I still think you guys are mean though! You can pay me back by reviewing though! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	27. Photo Album Worthy

Haven't gotten the five reviews I wanted but I decided to post this anyways! After all, the more chapters I post the closer we are to the sequel! Which by the way is going to kick some major butt! It's going to be a YYH, Trigun, Kenshin, Inuyasha crossover….. and it's not going to be up till next year….. *cries* well…..Actually, if by some miracle you guys review like crazy it could just maybe appear before the end of this year…… *sighs* like that'll happen. Well good luck! It'd be nice to be working on a different story…..

I'd like to thank you guys who reviewed my last chapter! By the way, anyone know what happened to Crecy? I'm so happy I've got 100 reviews! Thanks again!

My thanks again to AnonymousTrigunOtaku for teaching me how to post in HTML! You guys can now finally read my chapters the way I meant to show them to you!

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 26

Tanya laughed, "Their going to kill us!"

"Keh, yah right!" Inuyasha said.

"Fine then you can do it!" Tanya threw him the camera.

"Fine wench!" Inuyasha aimed the camera.

"Wait!" Tanya whispered, "You forgot to take off the flash."

Inuyasha fiddled with the camera.

"Here, let me do it," Tanya grabbed the camera and pressed a few buttons.

She tossed it back at the hanyou, "Now do it before they wake up!"

He grunted at being ordered around but aimed the camera again.

Tanya sighed and flicked the lens open.

There was a small click and Inuyasha lowered the camera.

He gave Tanya the thumbs up and they scurried away to the game room.

Tanya snatched the camera and hooked it up to the computer.

The image they had just taken appeared on screen and Tanya copied it over to Photoshop.

She fiddled with the picture and showed it to Inuyasha for approval. 

He nodded and Tanya clicked the print button.

Inuyasha handed her a frame and Tanya cut off the edges of the printed picture.

She carried it to the room Kat and Kenshin were sound asleep in and handed the picture to Inuyasha.

He squinted and found the nail on the wall, "There."

"I still think they're going to kill us," Tanya said.

There was a soft rustle and Tanya froze.

Inuyasha turned around and saw Kat flip over. 

She muttered something and Inuyasha's necklace began to grow purple.

"Oh no!" Tanya ran out of the room at full speed.

Inuyasha let out a loud curse that woke up Suzaku before face planting.

"Stupid hanyou," Kenshin muttered from beside Kat.

Inuyasha spit out a floor board before leaving the room fuming.

"Think they knew we weren't sleeping?" Kat asked.

"Nope. When did they wake you up?" Kenshin asked.

"I could hear their footsteps but I thought I was dreaming. I think it was their giggling from the game room that did it for me," Kat said.

"What about you? When did they wake you up?" Kat asked.

"That small click woke me up," he replied.

"What do you think it was?" Kat asked.

"A camera, look," Kenshin pointed to the wall flushing.

Kat gasped and grew red, "I'm going to kill her!"

The picture on the wall behind them showed the two hugging each other.

Kenshin had a small smile on his face and Kat had her face buried in the nape of Kenshin's neck.

The sheets were pulled around Kat so it made it look as if she was topless and Kenshin wasn't wearing a shirt to begin with. 

Little pink and red hearts were added above the picture and a message was written at the bottom: "Sweet dreams! Hope you two weren't doing anything when we got here!" 

Kat flushed and looked at Kenshin, "Well, maybe we can let them get away with this just once? It is a cute picture…"

Kenshin nodded but was already forming revenge.

Kageunsei was also studying the picture with Suzaku.

Nice one. That going in the photo album? they joked.

Kat glared at them, "Out!" 

Suzaku smirked and trotted out with Kageunsei on tow.

Kat turned back to Kenshin, "When will they decide?"

Kenshin looked crestfallen as the subject came up again, "I couldn't tell you. I think they are here more as adjudicators of spirit than helpers."  

Kat hugged him, "It's not fair. You should decide."

Kenshin nodded and hugged her back.

"How's your foot?" Kat asked changing the subject.

"Better," he replied.

 "Does it hurt?" she asked. 

"No."

Kat could tell he was lying. 

The tension in the room was thick.

She buried her face in his neck, "I hope you know that no matter what they decide I'll still stand by you." 

"If the Battousai is chosen, I can't let you stay with me." 

"I'd do it anyways! You know I'd never leave you. No matter what," Kat said forcefully. _'Does the Battousai show emotion? What would happen if the Battousai won? Would I be pushed away, or will it be the same way it was with Tomoe?' _ 

Kenshin flinched as if he could read her thoughts.  

"Something wrong?" she asked.

He looked at her and Kat frowned, "What did I do?" '_Did he wish to read my thoughts? I'd hate if he did. Hey Kenshin, when's the last time you slept with someone?!'_

"Oro?" Kenshin fell over.

"Ha! Got you! So you were reading my thoughts!" Kat yelled.

Kenshin stayed fallen over and Kat leaned over him, "You ok?"

He said nothing.

"It still hurts doesn't it?" Kat said talking about Tomoe, "You still miss her don't you?"

There was a pause, "Yes." 

Kat hung her head. _'Is there room in his heart for me or does he still morn Tomoe's passing?'_

(A/N: I'm really starting to get bored with this story. The sequel is going to kick ass! The chapters are much longer and way more detailed. PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	28. French Vanillia

Got three reviews… not really what I wanted to post another chapter but I really want to get the sequel up! There's like a million more chapters to this thing! GURR! Well the faster u guys review the faster I can finish posting this thing! 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 28 (I think… the numbering is off)

Kat was shocked when she heard, "Don't say that!" 

_'She has such a beautiful heart.' _ 

"I thought I told you to stay out of my thoughts!" Kat said. 

"That was the last one I heard, that it was," Kenshin said. 

"Do you still love her?" Kat asked. 

Kenshin was taken aback by her question and sat there too hurt to speak. 

"Gomen nasai, Kenshin. I shouldn't have asked," Kat muttered. 

"Tomoe was the first person to love me for whom I was. She hated the fact that I killed other people and that was something I wasn't used to. There was always the scent of white plumbs in the air and for a time it pushed away the sent of blood that was always following me… but she betrayed me… right from the beginning she had planned to kill me to avenge her husband to be. I suppose I still loved her even after I found that out, but I could never love her fully for doing that to me," he paused. 

"You were the second person to love me for who I was but… you didn't care as much if I still killed people…or at least you didn't say so. You have driven me away from the life I was to have but I am grateful. I do not wish to have the past haunt me. Now the aroma of French Vanilla keeps the smell of blood away and I have yet to smell it again when you're around. You make me nervous and even the Battousai doesn't know how to act around you. You are different from anyone I've ever met and it's not just because you're from the future. My relationship with Tomoe never had time to develop fully, sure I'm still angry with myself for…killing her… but… I love you Kat," Kenshin murmured. 

Kat let a tear of shame run down her face, "Kenshin, you're the not the only person to tell me that you love me. In the years that you left I had a close friend tell me that. I turned him down…when he proposed to me. I think he was more surprised than I was. I'm ashamed that I even partly considered it for a moment but in the end, I had to turn him down… I-inuyasha… h-he just told me that he…loved me too." 

"And what was your answer?" he pressed. 

"I haven't given him one…"

(A/N: Yes, yes I know its short give me a break! The reason I like cliffhangers is because it keeps you guys interested. Please don't kill me and PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	29. Red Hair and Rain

Wow you guys reviewed fast! Thanks to Aharah Musici, jim hawking jr, & Mizu Youkai you guys get another chapter! Thanks for reviewing! *hugs* I'm so glad you guys love my story! I hope the sequel will be just as popular!   

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 28

Kenshin surprised himself when he let out a laugh of sarcasm. 

The roof disappeared over head and everything in the room but them went with the roof.

Kat frowned confused.

It began to rain and Kenshin ran a hand through his sodden bangs, "Isn't it ironic?" 

Kat shot him a bemused look, "What's so funny?" 

He stopped laughing, "Do you love him?" 

"I told him we were just friends. I don't think he really believes me." 

"Do you believe yourself?" 

"That we're just friends? Yes. I couldn't love him anymore than a friend." 

"Why is that?" 

"…Because I love you!" she almost shouted at him. "How could I love anyone else…?" 

"Don't cry…" the Battousai's voice seemed to warn. 

"Why not?! Why shouldn't I?" she asked startled that the Battousai had spoken to her. 

"Because aishiteru," he whispered. 

His amber eyes blazed as he leaned over and kissed her. 

Kat's heart beat began to pick up, "Aishiteru Battousai…" 

Every part of him that was touching her seemed to be on fire. 

Kat used a hand to untie his hair and it cascaded over his shoulders and trickled rain droplets on to her face. 

(A/N: *Coughs* I'll let you guys imagine what goes here ***lemon*) **

 _      _

^_^

_'He is just like a dream. I'm afraid that someday I'll wake up and find out that it was just a wonderful dream…' _ Kat awoke with a start her heart pounding. 

_"I'll have to glare at every man who decides to stare you…"_ She shook off the last of her dream and began to calm down. 

She lay back down and began to play with Kenshin's hair. 

That was something really relaxing; she loved his red hair. 

Kat was a bit surprised that he hadn't wandered off or had ended up dozing against the wall in his famous pose, with one leg bent and a sword against his shoulder. 

No, she had found him lying next to her still asleep. 

He was in such a deep sleep that he was snoring. 

She studied his face and traced his scar with the tips of her fingers again.

Kat smiled, she doubted that he had ever slept that well. 

His snoring stopped and he rolled over. 

Kat let out a small squeak as he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck. 

She tried to move, but he was too strong. 

Kat ran a hand through his hair and played with it a bit more knowing full well that he was awake now. 

Her hand moved down his back and passed over four deep scars. 

She paused and stopped playing with his hair. 

He mumbled something then opened a golden eye. 

Suzaku sauntered in and seemed to give them a smile that said 'hope you had fun…' 

Kat blushed a bit. 

Kageunsei ambled over, parts of his body disappearing when it passed through the shadows. 

He sat down and nuzzled Kat. 

She smiled and pet the wolf. _'So much for being a fearsome Battousai…'  _

The roof hadn't yet repaired its self but the floor was somehow enchanted so that it kept from getting wet. 

We've decided.

(A/N: Lemon- a word used when writers don't want to write about... *coughs* stuff. Aishiteru- I love you (Japanese) PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	30. Decision Revealed

Still a little cocky from finishing the sequel to this story. You're gonna love it!

I'm sorry if the numbering's off on the chapter titles. 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 30 

This man known as Kenshin Himura and Hitokiri Battousai is always challenged for the title he does not want, but cannot forfeit to another. He surpasses all human logic and has been mistaken for a machine more times than can be counted. He is the Battousai but he is also the Rurouni. Both personalities are a part of him. His love cannot even choose between which side she likes more. 

The Battousai shot Kat a questioning look. 

Kageunsei began to speak. We have decided that we will blend your personalities into one. The battousai will no longer be different person from you. The only time you will see him is when you are angered or having sex. After all, the battousai was only ever meant to live and breathe in the heat of battle. Unfortunately, we can't blend his personality until the New Year. 

Kat and Kenshin were surprised at how blunt the wolf was.

Suzaku began to speak. We still wish to remain friends with you though. 

"Forever?" Kat asked. 

Yes. That is if you want us. We will also serve as the protectors to your family. We are immortal unless killed. Kageunsei crept in. 

In which case we will be at your side forever. 

"Immortal unless killed? That doesn't make sense," Kat said.

We are blessed with long life and god-like strength. True, we are not fully immortal but close enough to it. Kageunsei said.

Will you accept us? __

"I accept you," Kat said. 

The wolves bowed to her. Kenshin, what is your decision? 

His eyes turned back to purple and Kat smiled.

"I accept you."

The wolves nodded. 

Suzaku walked over to Kat. I will serve you and only you till the day you die. 

A golden collar shaped as a phoenix replaced the Egyptian one. 

Kageunsei walked over to Kenshin. I will serve you to the day you die.

A gleaming silver collar with black and white jewels appeared around his neck.

Then in unison they both said And we will serve your family for all eternity.

Suzaku continued but for as long as we are around, we'll never forget you.

"Won't it get boring to live for eternity?" Kat asked.

I'm sure it will but there's nothing we can do about it.

"I can fix that," Kenshin said, "I wish for you two to live as long as us. Our families will protect each other for as long as it is around."

The wolves bowed that sounds much better. 

Kat admired Suzaku's necklace. It had many small jewels in it and at the bottom was what looked like a message. 

It says **zougeiro hogosha. **It means ivory-white protector. Kageunsei's says **kuro kokuei hogosha. **Which means black dark shadow protector. 

"Oh," Kat said.

(A/N: yes …yes…strange ending but oh well. PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	31. Sesshomaru's Nickname

Posting two today since I'm so happy I finished I finished the sequel! I if you guys can answer this/ these question(s) I'll post another two chapters:

Who was on the front cover of YM's issue in July 2003?

What does SSDD stand for?

What is the name/ who is the girl that Kenji (Kenshin's son) is walking with at the end of the OVA sceries? 

What happens in meiosis II? *Coughs this was a test question for biology* 

IF YOU CAN NAME ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS WITHOUT CHEETING (looking at other reviews) I WILL POST EVERY LAST CHAPTER OF THIS STORY WITH IN THE WEEK THE REVIEW IS SENT! *Hint* SSDD is from a Stephen King book! 

BONUS: What is my favorite band? *Hint* They played at the Hyundai Pavilion (in California) on October 18th. (If you can guess this I'll also post the first chapter to the sequel. Tanya and friends may NOT answer this!) 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 30

"Can we stop?" Kat asked. 

"Why?" Kenshin asked back. 

"My butt hurts." 

"Oro? How could it hurt if you're not riding a horse?" 

"I don't know it just does!" 

I can fix that. Suzaku said. 

The pain disappeared. 

"Great," Kat muttered. 

"What?" 

"Now my ass is numb." 

Both Kenshin and Kat were riding their wolves through the forest. 

Kat had wanted to take a walk through the forest to see what had changed since they had left. 

The wolves' collars clanked against their well muscled chests with every leap and bound. 

They were by far the most magnificent animals in the forest. 

A flash whisked by them and the wolves skidded to a halt.

"Whose there?" Kenshin, who was now the Hitokiri, had his sword unsheathed.

A demon appeared, "You're friends with Inuyasha?" 

"What are you doing here Fluffy?" Kat asked.

Inuyasha's brother turned to face Kat, "None of your business." 

Suzaku dumped Kat to the floor and jumped in front of her. 

** Kassha batsu!** A white flame shot from her and met Sesshomaru's attack. 

There was a loud howling as the attacks collided. 

A blinding light covered the land and left everything was quiet for a moment. 

"What the hell was that?" someone asked. 

Tanya appeared riding on Inuyasha's back.

The hanyou dumped Tanya next to Kat, "I could smell my brother all the way from the Hut. I'd thought I'd come see what he was up too."

"Kat and Tanya please find somewhere safe to stay," the hitokiri said with unnatural kindness.

Tanya shot Kat a questioning look and Kat whispered, "I'll tell you later!"

"I see that my brother has found some new friends," Sesshomaru said "Let's see how well you fight."   

Very well. **Tetsu** **tsume! **A shot of black flame came from Kageunsei.

Sesshomaru blocked it with his sword and pulled out his whip.

He flicked his whip and sent it towards Suzaku.

She dodged and Kageunsei sent another black flame at Sesshomaru.

The flame was blocked by his whip but it caught fire.

Inuyasha took out his sword and it transformed into his father's fang, "KAZE NO KITSU!"

Four golden flames ripped across the ground towards Inuyasha's brother and engulfed him.

The tensugia protected Sesshomaru from getting shredded to pieces but it left the demon unconscious.  

"Thank you Kageunsei," the Hitokiri said as he appeared next to Sesshomaru. 

He gripped the handle of his sword and thrust it down. 

"Kenshin!" Kat screamed. 

No need to worry Kat. 

She frowned at Kenshin. 

It seemed as if time had been stopped. 

There was a whirr and Sesshomaru disappeared.

Inuyasha made to follow him but Kageunsei stopped him let the bastard go.

Kat got off her knees and walked over to Kenshin. 

She poked him and was surprised when he didn't move. 

Tanya came over and waved her hands in front of his eyes. 

Kenshin still didn't move. 

Kat got in his face and studied his eyes. 

They were still gold. 

They blinked and Kat almost had a heart attack. 

The Hitokiri's eyes followed her. 

"What did you do?" Kat asked. 

We stopped him from killing Inuyasha's brother. Did we do something wrong?

"Not really, but Sesshomaru does try to kill us all the time. Isn't there anyway that you could make it so he leaves us alone?" Kat asked.

No, not unless we killed him. Suzaku said.

"So when will he be able to move?" Tanya asked. 

Tanya wasn't the least bit shocked since Kat always seemed do drag her into strange situations. 

He will return to normal when he calms down. 

"How long will that take?" Kat asked. 

Minutes, hours, maybe even days. 

"DAYS?"

(A/N: Try to answer the questions above if you can. I'll eat my slipper if you can answer all of them correctly! You have to 11-20-03 to answer them! PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	32. A Night Under the Frozen Stars

I'll post two chapters for answering one of the questions correctly and the other close enough. You can thank Ahara Musici & Mizu Youkai for these chapters! Correct, they never mentioned her name but she has to have one, ne? I'll post a third for being mean and giving a trick question!  It's also correct that Suzaku was a character in YYH. I picked the name though since it means phoenix and I thought it was suiting for our white heroine (No, not the drug. The wolf. -_-)   

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 32 

"Days? He could be stuck like that for days?" Kat asked.

Suzaku nodded

Kat sighed and calmed herself down, "Well, is there anyway we can move him back to the hut?"

If Inuyasha wants to carry him. Suzaku said.

"Keh, yah right," Inuyasha said.

Kat smiled sweetly and got in his face, "Would you do it for me?"

Inuyasha was taken aback then smiled back, "Feh."

Kat brushed the rest of the leaves off her butt and hopped onto Kageunsei, "Tanya, you can ride Suzaku back."

Tanya nodded and hopped onto the white wolf's back.

They took off at top speed through the forest kicking up dead leaves.

^_^

Seven hours had passed and Kenshin was still frozen in place. 

Inuyasha had carried Kenshin back but had not carried the poor man inside.

It had gotten cold out and Kat had begun to fear for Kenshin's health. 

She had found one of her old jackets in a closet and decided that Kenshin might want it. 

She walked down the porch steps and shivered. 

It was an unusually cold night and she could see her breath. 

Her sandals clicked against the ground with each step. 

She rounded a corner and spotted Kenshin. 

His sword was clasped firmly in his hands and it glinted in the moonlight. 

He had not been able to move an inch since he had attacked Sesshomaru and Kat could tell that he was frustrated. 

His eyes followed her as she walked over. 

They glowed in the night and were narrowed to angry slits. 

Kat untied the jacket from her waist and draped it around his shoulders, "This should keep you warm. I know you don't want to wear it but it will keep you from freezing." 

His eyes softened a bit. 

"Kenshin, how did the Battousai form within you? How could you be so pure but so tainted? Why do you loose your temper so easily? You remind me of Tanya," Kat said. 

His hair rippled as the wind stirred it. 

It was a one long wave of the fires of hell. 

So rich and vibrant that they were held high in a pony tail which was long and full stop. 

The only flaw upon his face was the scar, which stuck out like a soar thumb. 

Shadows concealed most of his face in a murky layer. 

Kat gazed into his amber orbs, searching for an answer to her questions but knowing that there was not going to be one. 

His amber eyes stared right back at her and for a moment, he seemed to be lost. 

Kat could find no trace of emotion except anger. 

"Hitokiri," her voice seemed to startle him, "Do you love me as your other side does?" 

He seemed to be caught off guard and that was exactly what Kat wanted. 

She searched his eyes frantically to find an answer before he slipped his mask back on. 

She stopped searching when she came across a tiny trace of emotion. 

It was nothing more than the surprised glint in his eye but she knew that it was there. 

The only thing that annoyed Kat was that she couldn't tell what emotion she had seen. 

_'So, the Battousai does have emotions.' _

^_^

Kat sighed and flicked her gaze to the stars. 

She could spot Orion's Belt and the Little Dipper. 

The Hitokiri watched her as she gazed at the stars. 

He was a bit confused at why she had asked all those questions and still pissed that he couldn't move. 

Kat decided that it would be another sleepless night so she decided she would grab her sleeping bag. 

She made to go when there was a soft rustling. 

She turned around and was surprised to see the Hitokiri moving his sword back into his sheath. 

There was a crack as he moved his feet and the jacket Kat had put on him fell off. 

She stood there watching him as he flexed his muscles. 

His gaze met hers and they both froze a moment. 

Kat broke the gaze and wandered back inside. 

She could hear him following her. 

Kat made to the hall closet and began to rummage the miscellaneous items stored in there. 

"What are you looking for?" his horse voice asked. 

"Sleeping bags so I can sleep outside tonight," she replied. 

A thick bag appeared to her right and startled her, "Thanks…" 

She stood up, grabbed the bag, and headed back outside. 

The Hitokiri followed her. 

Kat laid the bag down on one side of the porch and frowned when the Battousai passed her he went around the side of the building and came back with her jacket. 

He climbed the five stairs of the porch and sat down next to her. 

He placed the jacket over Kat's shoulders. 

Kat's eyes widened at his small action of affection. 

They sat on the porch awkwardly for a few moments before Kat asked, "Why do you have no emotions?" 

He glared at her, "It's not that I don't have any emotions, it's that I don't show any." 

Kat was puzzled, "Why don't you show any?" 

He sighed slightly, "If I did, it would make me more vulnerable. My enemies would have the advantage." 

"How so?" 

"Say for instance, someone was taken hostage. If I cared about people then my enemies would have the advantage and kill me off instantly," he explained. 

Kat scoffed, "Don't you see? If you refuse to fight people than they will loose interest in fighting you." 

He smirked, "It's not that easy. My other side insists on saving people and not killing anyone. He's so weak." 

Kat glared back, "Weak no, caring yes. If you don't like him then why not get rid of him?" 

"I've tried that before…but it…it's the memory of Tomoe…that keeps him alive and us from destroying each other." 

Kat's frown deepened, "I thought you had put Tomoe behind you." 

"I did but it was her that spurred my other half to be born and it her memory that keeps him alive." 

"Oh…" There was a long pause before, "Was she that special?" 

The Hitokiri hung his head, "Yes… she had to have been to get me to love her. I mean, who could have loved me when I was a heartless manslayer?" 

There was another pause before, "I could have."

(A/N: I'm gonna post the next two now! Come on people, if you can tell me exactly what SSDD stands for I'll post another two! PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	33. The Unenterable Tree House

I'll post one more chapter after this today! Listening to Ask DNA from the Cowboy Bebop soundtrack (well, it came off the sound track but I've got it downloaded *whistles innocently*)

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 33

The Battousai sat on the porch trying to sort his thoughts. 

The girl in his arms began to make soft sounds and her breathing began to even out proving that she had fallen asleep. 

His mind kept replaying their last conversation. 

The words echoed in his head.

^_^

~flashback~

"Could have?" he asked. 

"Yes, could have. You have proven to me that you still care for Tomoe. Your frozen heart is thawed but I'm not enough to keep it from freezing again. In fact, I might just be helping it freeze!" she spat. 

"What?" 

"You are so dense! You carry the weight of the world on your shoulders and won't let anyone else help you with it! Maybe that's what got Tomoe killed!" she spat at him. 

His amber eyes flared with anger and it was all he could do from killing her. 

His fists balled at his sides and his nails dug into his palms drawing blood, "How dare you say that! Tomoe was so much better than you! She was perfect and she loved me!" 

Kat stood on legs that shook with anger, "If she was so perfect, then why did she betray you?!" 

Her voice dropped to a whisper, "If she really loved you, she wouldn't have betrayed you. If I were in her situation, I wouldn't have left or betrayed you." 

With that she turned on her heals and started to walk away. 

His hand shot out and grabbed her hers, "Wait." 

She turned around again and amber eyes bored holes into him, "Why, so you can yell at me some more?"  

He hung his head, "No, so I can apologize." 

Kat glared and frowned at him. 

"You're right. Tomoe wasn't perfect and neither am I. You're the only one who has truly accepted me. You're the only one who has wanted to take the weight of the world away from me," he sighed and let go of her. 

Kat got back into her sleeping bag and curled up next to him, "No I'm sorry, I know how much Tomoe means to you and I shouldn't have brought it up again." 

He put his arms around her and gave her an awkward hug. 

~end flashback~

^_^

He couldn't lie to himself, her outburst had hurt him and it was the first time anyone had 'really' fought with him. 

Tomoe had meant a lot to him but she had betrayed him. 

There was the soft sound of claws scraping against the floor. 

"Kageunsei," he said. 

The ebony wolf walked out the door and onto the porch. Your thoughts are so scattered. It gives me a headache. 

The Hitokiri had had enough scolding for one time Kenshin's personality resurfaced and his eyes changed back to purple. 

Nice to see you again. 

"Good to be back." 

What's troubling you? 

"You can read my thoughts, why bother asking?" 

Your thoughts are so scattered that even though I can read them it doesn't explain much. 

"Kat brought up Tomoe. We had a fight." 

You've never fought with anyone that way before? It was more of a statement than a question. 

"I've never talked with anyone about Tomoe before, partly because no one knew her." 

So what's troubling you? 

Kenshin laughed, "I was hoping you could tell me."

^_^

"Just five more minutes Tanya!" Kat growled. 

Tanya stopped trying to wake her friend, "How did you know it was me?" 

A small snore was her answer, "KAT!" 

"I'm awake!" came the muffled reply, "What do you want?" 

Tanya pulled the covers off her friend, "Time to wake up!"

Kat glared, "There's nothing to do! Why bother waking up if there's nothing to do?"

Tanya laughed, "There's always something to do, you just have to make it up as you go along!"

"Whatever," Kat muttered as she brushed the dead leaves off her sleeping bag.

Kat got up and rolled the bag into a ball, "Could you take this back inside?"

"What am I you're mom?" Tanya asked taking the bag from Kat.

"Thanks," Kat said and wandered off to find Kenshin.

She rounded the corner and found Inuyasha and Kenshin fighting again.

"You think they would have learned the first time," Kat muttered.

There were yips of joy and Kat realized that Suzaku and Kageunsei had joined the fight.

Black and white flames shot everywhere as the wolves dodged swords.

Inuyasha and Kenshin were chasing after the wolves taking swings at them and missing.

Everyone seemed to be having fun with it and Kat wondered how Kenshin could be doing all this with a busted foot.

She studied his foot and noticed that it seemed to be healed, "Hey Kenshin! Be careful that you don't overuse your leg!"

Kenshin stopped running after the wolves and Suzaku skidded to a stop noticing that she wasn't being chased, "I was just about to finish. Suzaku has wonderful healing powers you know."

"That's great news!" Kat said.

Kenshin hobbled over, "I have something to show you."

He took her hand and pulled her towards the river.

"Where are we going?" Kat asked.

"You'll see," he said.

They reached the river and Kenshin lead her to an enormous tree with thick branches.

Kat looked up into the tree and gasped.

An enormous tree house was sitting on a huge branch that extended over the river.

"Kenshin, did you build this?" Kat asked.

He shook his head, "Not unless you call wishing for it building it."

Kat smiled, "Well it's the thought that counts."

Kenshin smiled, "Do you like it?"

"Well it looks beautiful, but how do we get into this tree mansion of yours?" 

"Oro?"

(A/N: Took me forever to write this (whenever the heck that was. I'm guessing it was back in July!). PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	34. I'm Only Happy When it Rains

Last chapter for today! A hint on the questions, meiosis II has to do with haploid cells. 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 33

Kenshin walked over to the tree the house was in and reached behind it.

He pulled a rope ladder off a branch and handed it to Kat, "Ladies first."

Kat gave him a look, "Yah right. How am I supposed to do this?"

"Just jump on," he said holding the ladder.

Kat stared at the ladder flatly before placing a foot on one of the steps.

Kenshin let go of the ladder as soon as she did and Kat had to act fast to make sure that she didn't fall off.

"You're getting faster," Kenshin complimented.

Kat glared at him, "What do I do now?"

Kenshin rolled his eyes, "Try climbing it."

Kat glared at him.

There was no way she could climb the ladder.

It hung over the river and if she moved the ladder would begin to sway uncontrollably.

"Kenshin," Kat said, "I hate you."

He grinned at her from the shore, "Just start climbing."

Kat nodded and moved her leg to place it on the next step up.

The ladder began to sway and Kat gripped it for dear life, "I hate this!"

_'The only way to get up this ladder is by using speed. But am I fast enough to make it?' _"Kenshin, promise me that if I fall you'll catch me?" Kat asked.

He nodded and Kat disappeared from sight.

The ladder swung back and forth and Kat reappeared a second later on the porch of the tree house, "That wasn't so hard."

She smiled and made to take a step into the house but her foot slipped out from under her and she began to fall.

"KENSHIN!!!"

He disappeared and the water parted in a straight line towards Kat.

She stopped falling half way and was caught by Kenshin.

They landed in the water and Kenshin was soaked.

"Thanks," Kat said blushing at her clumsiness.

Kenshin smiled back before his foot gave way and they plunged into the water.

Kat sat up in the ice cold water coughing and spitting.

She stood up shivering and looked for Kenshin.

He was sitting in the water with a pained expression on his face.

He was sitting on his bad foot and it looked as if it hurt too much to move.

"Oh Kenshin I'm so sorry!" Kat whispered.

He eased off his foot and sat in the water a second before disappearing.

Kat gasped before she found herself in the tree house.

Kenshin had wished them there and he was now sitting on a futon in the corner rubbing his foot.

"Can't you wish us back to the hut? Your foot must have broken. It's all my fault!" Kat wailed.

"It's not broken. Besides, it wasn't your fault you fell and I promised I'd catch you too."

Kat nodded, "But are you sure you'll be ok?"

"I can't wish us back but yes we'll be ok."

Kat's clothes changed into a many layered kimono. 

It had long flowing wings and a fan with many tassels appeared next to her.

The fan had two cranes on it and it was enormous.

Kat picked it up and admired the wings on her kimono.

"Thanks Kenshin. Why the beautiful attire?" she asked.

"Just thought you'd like it," he said.

His clothes changed to a dark blue gi and the usual white hakama.

He tucked his arms into his gi and leaned against the wall.

"It feels good to be warm," Kat said.

Kenshin nodded in agreement and Kat laughed, "I love all your little habits."

Kenshin followed her gaze to his arms and smiled, "I had no idea that you even noticed how often I do that."

Kat scrambled over to the futon and sat down next to him, "You have any idea how hard it is to move in this?"

She raised her fan to her face, "How do I look?"

"Like a princess. Only princesses or queens wear the patterns and colors you're wearing but how did you know to raise your fan to conceal your face when you talk?"

Kat smiled behind her fan, "I read it in a book about Japanese culture. Aren't ladies also supposed to talk behind a screen in the presence of others?" 

Kenshin lowered her fan, "Yes but no one really uses screens anymore. It's no fun and it's out of style. Besides, I can never see the face of the women I talk to."

Kat blushed and Kenshin mirrored her for no apparent reason.

His face matched the color of his fiery hair.

"Why are you blushing?" Kat asked.

"Why are you?" Kenshin asked back.

Kat's ears picked up the pitter patter of rain on the roof and smiled, "It reminds me of the song 'I'm only happy when it rains.' I always loved that song."

"But is it true? Are you happy only when it rains?" Kenshin asked.

Kat shook her head, "I love it when it rains but I love being around you more."

"If I could, I'd make it rain forever."

"Then I guess we have a lot in common."

(A/N: its 11:30pm give me a break (actually it's 5:15pm but it must have been 11:30 when I wrote this). PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	35. The Fish Room's Occupants

Posting another chapter early. I want to get to the sequel so badly I'm a bit too eager. Well enjoy!

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 34

"Kenshin?" 

"Hum?"

"GET OFF MY LAPTOP!" Kat yelled.

"Oro?! Yes ma'am!" he said.

Kat glared at him, "You have any idea how much these cost?"

"Um no," Kenshin said.

"Well I guess it doesn't really matter but this was a gift and I'm glad you got it here," Kat said hacking away at the miniature keyboard.

"Um what are you doing?" Kenshin asked.

"Working on my fan fiction and IMing a friend," Kat said.

"What's a fan fiction?" Kenshin asked.

Kat sighed, "You've never heard of a fan fiction?"

He shook his head.

"It's a story about a favorite show or movie that fans write. It can contain anything that the fan wants and the fan can make the characters do anything," Kat explained.

Kenshin nodded then opened his mouth to speak.

"An IM is an instant message. It's like talking to the person through the computer," Kat cut him off before he could ask.

"Oh," was all he could say.

"So, only two days to Christmas," Kat said closing her laptop.

Kenshin nodded.

"Shouldn't we decorate?" Kat asked.

"You want to do it by hand or should I just wish?" Kenshin asked.

Kat thought a second, "Wish for the decorations and the tree. Wish for all of the hut to be decorated except for the tree."

Kenshin nodded and a three foot tree appeared in the middle of the room Kat and Kenshin were in.

A wreath attached itself to the door; garland and fake snow flakes began to hang themselves from the walls and ceiling.

A disco ball with red and green lights appeared in the room next to the one Kenshin and Kat were in and holiday music began to play.

Kat sniffed the air, "Why does it smell like gingerbread?"

A platter stacked with gingerbread men appeared next to the tree.

"Oh," Kat said.

"You like it?" Kenshin asked.

"Well I guess I shouldn't have expected a normal Christmas with you around," Kat said laughing.

"But what's with the disco ball?" she asked.

"Disco will never die!" Kenshin shouted.

Kat stared at him like he was crazy, "Um ok."

He looked at her, "Isn't that what people say?"

"Only the loonies in the bin," Kat said.

They looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Well, do you want to help me decorate the tree?" Kat asked.

Kenshin nodded and picked up a string of lights.

Kat grabbed the other end and began to wrap it around the tree.

^_^

"Inuyasha?" 

"What?" he asked.

"I know you like fish but I need you to put Kenshin down," Tanya said calmly.

"Feh," the hanyou said as he let go of the fish.

"Inuyasha!" Tanya yelled.

"What?"

"Vash," she said pointing to his pocket.

Inuyasha glared at Tanya and turned to go.

"Inu," Tanya commanded.

He turned to glare at her.

"Spit Shippo out or I'll have Kat sit you enough times to create a crater in the floor!" Tanya screeched.  

The hanyou shot her a death glare before sticking his head over the side of the tank and spitting out her precious Shippo.

"Can I go now?" he asked.

Tanya looked him over before nodding.

She turned around and began to count the fish in the tank.

"Let's see there's all the Trigun characters. There's all the Inuyasha characters. There's all the Cowboy Bebop characters. There's all the…Wait. Where's Yahiko?! INUYASHA!!!" Tanya yelled.

She ran out of the room in search of the hanyou. 

As she passed the door she knocked over a can of fish food.

Tanya paused a moment to set the can back on top of the tank it fell off of and nodded, "Kat will love this." _'Now to find that hanyou. I hope my little Yahiko hasn't been eaten yet.'_

"INUYASHA YOU'RE DEAD!!!"

(A/N: Umm…sushi? PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	36. The Four Feathers

*glares* WHERE ARE ALL MY REVIEWERS?! REVIEW PEOPLE! Ahara Musici is the only one who reviews now a day! 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 35

"How could you!?" 

"I didn't mean to!"

"My fish!"

"I said I'm sorry!" 

"He's still breathing! That was you're last chance! I'm going to have Kenshin put up a demon ward on that door. You can't just eat Kat's fish!"

"Can too."

"And what about you Kageunsei? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Meuff? 

"Spit it out."

Nooffp.

"Dot it."

Ooup canp maesk meeeep.

"Really? This blow torch says I can."

The wolf sweat dropped and spit out the fish. 

"My poor fish! How could you? How could both of you? Trying to eat a poor defenseless fish?!"

"They have teeth you know."

"Shut up dog boy!"

"Keh."

^_^

"Kenshin, don't you think we should be going back soon?" Kat asked.

"Yes, today would be a good time to go back actually," Kenshin said.

"What about your foot?" 

"It's healed."

"What? How could it be healed?"

"Take a look for yourself," Kenshin said unraveling the bandages on his foot.

Kat looked at his foot and then squeezed it, "Hurt?"

Kenshin wiggled his toes in her grip, "Nope."

"Amazing. I've never seen a foot heal so fast," Kat said.

"Should we leave now?" Kat asked.

Kenshin stood up and walked out to the porch, "No, it's going to rain."

"How do you do that?" Kat asked.

"I can just tell. There's a cool breeze and the skies are gray so that's another reason I can tell."

Kat went outside to join him and closed the screen door behind her, "Want to join me on the swing?"

Kenshin nodded and sat down on the porch swing.

Kat joined him and tried to rest her back on the bench-swing.

She stood up and pulled her winged sleeves out from behind her then sat back down.

Kenshin immediately put a protective arm around her, "Want to watch a movie?"

Kat frowned, "What?"

Kenshin pulled out a remote and pushed a button.

There was a low humming as a projector and screen dropped out from the ceiling of the porch.

Kat swatted at a pesky mosquito, "I hate bugs!"

The porch was instantly screened in and the bug disappeared.

"Now what movie do you want to watch?" Kenshin asked.

"I heard that 'Four Feathers' was good."

"Then 'Four Feathers' it is."

The credits appeared on screen and the title of the movie displayed itself.

Kat had a hard time paying attention, the movie was boring and Kenshin was so warm.

Kenshin wasn't paying any attention at all, all his attention was directed towards Kat.

She shifted against him and he smiled evilly.

"'How differently I would have done things if given a second chance,'" the line from the movie echoed in Kat's mind.

Then she got the feeling that something behind her had disappeared.

Kenshin shifted his weight and pulled his feet onto the chair.

He leaned back and Kat turned around.

The back of the chair had disappeared and so had the wall of the porch, "Kenshin no!"

It was too late, Kenshin slipped off the back of the chair dragging Kat with him.

Kat tried to twist around so she could land properly but one of her sleeves got tangled with Kenshin's and she began to fall face first.

SMACK!

Kat hit the water face first and floated a second before sinking.

Kenshin tucked his knees to him and preformed a perfect cannon ball.

He surfaced and felt raindrops hit his head and face.

Kenshin turned to look for Kat she hadn't surfaced yet and he began to worry.

He sucked in a lung full of air and dived under.

Kenshin surfaced a second later with a limp Kat in his arms.

He pulled her to the shore and checked to see if she was breathing.

Kat opened an eye and smiled evilly to herself.

Kenshin began to panic when he saw that she wasn't breathing.

He pinched her nose shut and opened her mouth.

He places her head sideways and blew into her mouth.

After a few seconds his eyes shot open.

He realized that Kat was just fine and was faking it.

"You get what you deserve," Kat mumbled against his lips.

She wrapped her arms around him and deepened the kiss.

Then she flipped them over and stood up.

She dragged Kenshin back to the river and dunked him in.

Kat smiled triumphantly and watched little bubbled of protest surface.

She let go of Kenshin and he surfaced coughing and spitting out water, "You're so evil!"

"I learn from the best," Kat said laughing.

"Baka deshi."

"Oh come on, don't be like Hiko!" Kat said.

Kenshin stood up and wrapped an arm around Kat, "Before we go back, we have to stop at the store for some tofu."

"What is it with you and tofu?" Kat asked.

"It tastes better when it's not wished for."

"Yah right. Besides we can't go anywhere, we're soaked!" Kat pointed out.

A huge umbrella appeared in Kenshin's hand and Kat's kimono was instantly dry, "Well if you really want to walk all the way there."

"We're not walking," Kenshin whistled and the two wolves appeared.

Where to? 

(A/N: *yawns* PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	37. Death of the White Phoenix

If you can answer this question I'll post half of the last few chapters (I think that's like at least 6). 

**How old am I?** (Ahara, you know this already right? So you can't tell! Tanya, I don't want you telling! Dev, Sweetangel8, and Christina can't tell either!) JUST GUESS! If you can get within one year I'll post em!  BTW: I've reached over 50,000 words!!!

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 36

Kat and Kenshin made an odd sight walking down the street together.

Kat was still wearing her fit-for-a-princess kimono and Kenshin was holding a huge periwinkle parasol over both of them.

Every shop keeper was staring out of their windows at the couple since they made such an odd sight.

No one else but them was walking through the street 

"That's the store," Kenshin said.

"So this is where you always used to buy tofu," Kat said.

Kenshin opened the door for her.

Kageunsei and Suzaku tried to follow but Kat stopped them, "I don't think many people want two wolves in their shop."

Kageunsei growled and sat down on the step.

Kenshin shut the paper door behind him and walked up to the shop keeper, "I'd like to buy two sticks of tofu please."

The woman nodded and disappeared into another room.

Kat began to browse the shop and came across a wind chime, "Kenshin, isn't this cute?"

Kat showed him the wind chime.

It clinked and Kenshin smiled at the little fish painted on it, "It is pretty, that it is. Would you like me to buy it for you?"

Kat smiled like a little kid who had been given candy.

She threw her arms around Kenshin, "Thanks!"

The woman came back in with a bucket full of water and tofu, "Here you are. Do you want the wind chime too?"

"Yes please," Kenshin said.

He handed the woman some money and they left the store.

They hadn't walked five steps when the woman came through the door, "Ma'am! Ma'am! I accidentally overcharged you!"

"Thank you," Kat said but the woman walked passed her.

The sales lady came up to Kenshin and dropped a few coins into his palm, "I'm sorry ma'am! Please forgive me!"

Kat flushed red with anger, "Oh come on! With an ass like that I don't see how most people can mistake him for a girl!"

Kenshin's face matched the color of his hair as he flushed from embracement.

He sweat dropped, "Oro? You didn't think I was a girl the first time you saw me did you?"

Kat shook her head, "Like I said, not many girls have an ass like that!"  

Kenshin rubbed the back of his head while Kat laughed.

The sales lady excused herself and left.

The hollow sound of hooves came to their ears.

Kageunsei bristled and growled.

Kenshin and Kat continued to laugh as the carriage came near.

The horses picked up speed and began to thunder towards them.

The carriage was a just barely ten feet away when Kenshin took notice of it.

The horses neighed and reared.

Kenshin swept Kat off her feet and dodged the hooves just in time.  

Then the carriage thundered on by and a voice echoed through the streets, "I am the Battousai! Let this be a warning!"

Kenshin stood up and dragged Kat to her feet, "Are you ok?

Kat looked down at her shredded kimono and scraped skin.

She had cut her arm and it was bleeding but other than that, she was fine.

Kenshin spotted the blood and his eyes glowed amber.

Kat turned her gaze back to the street and gasped.

Suzaku's tattered and limp body lay there with a wheel print running over her chest.

Crimson fur lay plastered against her body and short quaking breaths made her chest rise and fall.

Suzaku!? Kageunsei was by her side and licking her wound.

Kenshin and Kat rushed over.

Suzaku sucked in a ragged breath I'm sorry.

For what?

That I have to leave you soon. Suzaku coughed and blood ran from her mouth.

It's not your fault. Kageunsei whined.

I have to leave you.

No. No you don't!

I wish I didn't, I really do but I can't feel my legs I can't feel anything.

Kageunsei whined Don't do this to me.

Suzaku coughed again and a massive amount came from her mouth. I l-ove y- 

She wasn't able to finish her sentence before she coughed again.

Her entire body shook as she began to choke on the blood.

Her massive white head fell to the ground and scarlet tears ran down her face.

Kageunsei stared at her in shock Forgive me my blossom, Saku.

There was a black streak and Kageunsei took off into the night I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU ANGER THE REAL BATTOUSAI!

(A/N: Sad ne? Scarlet tears were once used to describe deep sadness in poetry. PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	38. Some Christmas Eve

My thanks to Tanya for reviewing! And my apologies to Aharah Musici for spelling your name wrong! 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 37

Kat and Kenshin sat on the porch once again distancing themselves from one another.

Kat's watch beeped and she growled, "Happy Christmas Eve."

"Yah real happy," someone muttered from behind them.

"Mayonaka?" Kat asked.

"Ah yes! Finally you remember me!" he hissed.

"I'm sorry!" Kat said.

"Sorry doesn't cut it," he said.

"Yah well right now, sorrys all I got," Kat mumbled.

Mayonaka's voice softened, "I heard what happened."

Kat bristled. _'Oh now he's sorry.'_ "That all you have to say?" Kat asked.

Mayonaka stiffened, "Yah."

Kenshin listened to the patter of his feet as he walked back to his room, "You shouldn't be so hard on him."

"Kenshin, you should save your energy to get better," Kat said.

Golden eyes stared at her from the darkness, "You know very well that I'm not Kenshin."

"With Suzaku gone I'm pretty sure you're not," Kat said.

"It's like my other half has been ripped out and now there's a black hole sucking in anything it can," he explained.

Kat was unmoved by his words, "You should rest."

Kenshin's eyes narrowed at the harshness in her voice.

He closed them and lost consciousness.

Inuyasha came out to see what was going on, "I heard what happened."

"Who hasn't?" Kat asked, not in the mood for small talk.

Inuyasha stiffened at her words, "That's not the ball of energy I know so well."

Kat rested her head on her knees, "Who cares?"

"Come on, Kat. It's Christmas Eve," Inuyasha tried.

"Who gives?" Kat muttered.

Inuyasha seized her arm and made her look him in the eye, "What's wrong with you? It's not your fault Suzaku died."

Kat yanked her arm out of his grasp, "How do you know? You weren't there. She was trying to save me and she was killed."

Inuyasha glared at her.

You're wrong. 

"What?" Kat snarled.

Kageunsei sauntered up the steps and sat down on the top one gazing at the small crescent of moon. You're wrong. She died trying to save me.

"What?"

I got my foot caught in between two stones and she pushed me out of the way the last minute. She gave her life to save a heartless wolf.

"You're wrong. You're not heartless. Neither is that man slumped unconscious against the step drunk from too much sake. You choose to hide your feelings and that's what makes you appear heartless. You lie to yourself until you begin to believe your lie that you have no feelings and can't go back," Kat said.

Suzaku said the same thing to me.

"But is she dead?"

What are you talking about?!

Inuyasha crept away unnoticed giving a poor excuse on how tired he was.

"Suzaku might be dead but her spirit lives on. Kenshin will heal and Suzaku will return."

How can you be so dense? She'll never be back, never!

"But her memory still lives on. And you better hold on to that because someday that will be all that's left."

Kageunsei turned to look at Kat.

She gasped when she saw crystalline tears and a large cut on his paw.

You're right. Memories are all that I have left. he stood up and walked to the door.

He paused, "Thank you, Katsura."

(A/N: I must be crazy. Now we got talking wolves! PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	39. Dreams of Hotdog on a Stick

Thanks to Tanya I'm posting two tonight (this being the second)! 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 38

Kat shifted and rubbed her numb side.

She moved Kenshin into a different position and felt him stir against her.

He opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Kat watching him intently.

"Ohayou," Kat said.

Kenshin's golden eyes softened.

"Ohayou," he said weekly.

"Too much sake?" Kat asked softly.

He nodded and coughed.

Kat hugged him and rested her head on his shoulder, "Look, the sun's rising."

Kenshin nodded and rested him arm on Kat's shoulder, not able to support himself.

Kenshin's amber orbs reflected the golden rays of the sun and he gazed at Kat's ever softening eyes.

They sparkled and watered, "Kenshin… Oh please!" she paused when he frowned, "I know you hate me calling you that but it's too awkward to call you Battousai. Anyways, I know it wasn't out fault that Suzaku died but I still feel like it was our fault."

The Hitokiri nodded, "I know I feel the same way."

"Kenshin?" 

The hitokiri turned his gaze from the sunrise back to her, "Hum?"

"I'm glad you decided to finally open up to me."

He nodded, "I'm glad I did it too. I'm sorry it took me so long."

Kat smiled back at him before laying her head back against his shoulder and closing her eyes.

^_^

Tanya awoke to the sound of sniffing.

"Not now Rocky," she mumbled.

The sniffing continued and she growled, "Rocky, go away! Five more minutes."

"I'm not Rocky and I never will be," Inuyasha muttered.

Tanya sat bolt upright, "What are you doing in my room?!"

Tanya's eyes widened before she let out a snort of laughter.

Inuyasha had fallen asleep against her wall and was muttering to himself.

Tanya laughed again. _'This should be fun.'_

She crept up to Inuyasha and whispered in his ear, "If you had a million dollars what would you buy?"

He muttered something.

"What?" Tanya asked the sleeping hanyou.

"Hotdog on a stick," he mumbled.

Tanya burst out laughing and tears came to her eyes. 

"Ok. Ok. Inuyasha, if you had a billion dollars what would you buy?" She asked.

"A house."

"What else?"

 "Hotdog on a stick."

Tanya began to laugh so hard she felt she was about to throw up.

She began to hiccup she was laughing so hard.

Kageunsei meandered by and Tanya saw the expression on the wolf's face.

She stopped laughing and tried to calm her hiccups.

"Humm, sadder than usual," she noted.

Inuyasha stirred next to her. 

"Hotdog?" he asked grabbing Tanya in a death grip.

She began to laugh hard again and Inuyasha woke up entirely, "You don't smell like a hotdog. Wait. Why are you laughing?"

This made Tanya laugh harder.

Inuyasha became concerned when he noticed that she was turning blue.

Inuyasha glared, "It wasn't that funny."

Tanya stopped laughing and took in great gulps of air.

"Wonder what Kenshin and Kat are doing," Inuyasha said.

"Let's go see," Tanya suggested.

They walked outside. 

"Seems that they enjoy the porch more than their own beds," Tanya muttered when she found the two sleeping next to each other.

"Should we wake them up?" Inuyasha asked.

"Naw. I have a better idea," she took out her camera.

Inuyasha laughed, "They are going to kill us!"

(A/N: The hotdog on a stick thing is an inside joke. My friend Jennifer (Kimbell) was sleeping on the van ride back from an amusement park and we knew that she talked in her sleep so we began to ask her questions. We were cracking jokes about one of the food shops we had seen earlier (Hotdog on a Stick; yes that is a real shop!) so I guess that was the last thing she thought about before she took her nap. So I decided to ask her what she would do with a million dollars. Well, now you know. All my ideas are all original and most of them come from real life (ok, not all of them; like talking wolves exist!) but some of you were wondering where I got these things so like I said: Now you know. PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	40. The First & Strangest Volleyball Game

WOW! Thanks for all the reviews Tanya! *hugs till she turns blue* TANYA ROCKS! 

PLESE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 39

Tanya hung the picture of the sleeping couple next to the last one they had taken of them.

She admired her work.

The new picture read, "Sweet dreams! We caught you again! Happy Christmas Eve!"

She laughed again and left the room. _'Wonder how many more times I'll be able to do this!' _

^_^

"They did it again didn't they?" 

"Yep," Kat said while stretching.

"Hungry?"

"Sure."

A plate of steaming orange chicken appeared next to her.

Kat picked up the pair of chopsticks on the side of the tray and grabbed a huge piece.

"You hungry?" she asked.

He opened his mouth to speak and Kat shoved the large piece in it.

His golden eyes blazed at her as he tried to chew the piece. 

Kageunsei came out and lay in the sun on the porch.

"Feeling better?" Kat asked trying to sound cheery.

The wolf nodded slightly and Kat poked him in the ribs.

The wolf opened his mouth to growl and Kat shoved a massive piece of chicken into it.

Two pairs of golden eyes glared at her while trying to chew the tangy chicken. 

"Like it?" Kat asked.

They continued to glare at her.

"Oh come on! Cheer up!" she said.

They ignored her.

Mayonaka came out to join them, "Morning."

Kat nodded to him.

Inuyasha came out with Tanya hiding behind him, "Please don't kill us!"

Kat glared, "Well, since its Christmas Eve, I'll let you off the hook but that doesn't mean Kenshin will."

Tanya laughed nervously, "Hope he does."

The others sat on the porch steps sipping tea and coffee.

Kageunsei continued to stare off into the distance.

"Anyone up for a game of volleyball?" Kat asked.

"Sure," everyone mumbled.

Kat poked Kenshin he nodded and a net appeared. 

Sand appeared around the net and a ball dropped into the sand from out of no where.

Kat stood up and walked to the area when she looked back she saw everyone still sitting on the porch, "I can't play by myself!"

"How can she be so cheery?" Inuyasha asked.

"Isn't that why everyone likes her? After all that's happened she's still cheery," Tanya said standing up to join her best friend.

The hitokiri stood up, "That's one of the reasons why I like her, I probably never will find out what makes her so happy though."

Inuyasha followed him out to the court.

Mayonaka sighed, "I'm always left out aren't I?"

Kat, Kenshin and Mayonaka were on one team Tanya and Inuyasha were on the other.

Kageunsei watched the game from the porch.

"Zero serving zero," Kat announced as she served the ball.

It flew over the net and Tanya bumped it back over.

Mayonaka bumped it to Kenshin and he managed to get back over.

Tanya jumped up and spiked it.

The ball hit the sand on Kat's side between Mayonaka and Kenshin.

Mayonaka glared at Kenshin, "That was yours!"

Kenshin glared back, "It landed closer to you."

Kat picked up the ball and threw it at Kenshin to make them stop fighting.

He caught it and tossed it under the net to Inuyasha without taking his eyes off his son.

Inuyasha tossed the ball to Tanya and she tried serving it.

The ball landed about three feet away from her and Inuyasha growled, "You missed!"

Tanya stared blankly at the ball.

"On come on, go easy on her! She gets a mulligan!"  Kat said.

"A mulligan?" Mayonaka asked.

"A do over, you know?" Kat asked.

"Doesn't that have to do with golf?" he asked.

Kat shrugged, "You get the point." 

Inuyasha tossed the ball to Tanya, "Get it over the net this time!"

Tanya glared at him before serving the ball.

It grazed the net and landed on Kat's side.

"Should we give her another mulligan?" Inuyasha asked.

"Net balls are good only on a serve," Kat said.

They tossed the ball back to Tanya who just barely managed to get it back over.

Mayonaka bumped it high into the air.

"I got it!" Inuyasha yelled.

He made to spike it and that's just what he did.

"Way to go dog boy!" Kat said, "There's a difference between spiking the ball and impaling it."

"He needs his nails clipped," Tanya said.

Inuyasha growled, "I'm not a dog, I'm a dog DEMON!"

"Whatever," Kenshin muttered, "Our serve."

"Rotate!" Kat said, shoving Mayonaka in the right direction.

He fell over face first into the sand. 

A ball appeared in Kenshin's hand and he spiked it over.

And so began the strangest volleyball game in history.

(A/N:  That's a lot like how my family plays volleyball. (Very dysfunctional… -_-  jk) PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	41. White Gold Ring & a Rewined Proposal

I'll post all the chapters today except the last one. (Building up suspense… ^-^) 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 40

"Ten serving thirteen!" 

"Kenshin watch out!"

"Heads!"

"Oro?!"

And so ended the strangest and first volleyball game in history. 

"Kenshin are you ok?" Kat asked running over to him.

The volleyball rolled off his face and his eyes swirled.

Kat stood over him, blocking the last rays of the setting sun.

He was out cold.

"Well, at least we know he's back to being Kenshin," Kat said.

"Why does this always seem to happen?" Inuyasha muttered, picking up the unconscious redhead and heading back to the hut. 

^_^

"Cheers to the weirdest Christmas Eve in history!" Kat said raising her cup of sake.

"Cheers!" everyone answered and gulped down their cups.

Kenshin had an ice pack on his head and was resting in a chair.

Everyone was gathered around the tree admiring the lights and decorations.

Kat glanced at the clock, "We should be getting to bed soon."

"You're kidding right?" Tanya asked.

Kat shook her head, "Besides it's been a long day."

There were mutters of complaints but everyone agreed with her.

They made their way to their rooms, Mayonaka sharing with Inuyasha, Kat sharing with Kenshin and Tanya sharing with Kageunsei, who was still distant.

Three doors shut and everyone found a comfortable position.

Inuyasha slept against the wall, Kenshin style, with his sword resting on his shoulder.

Kageunsei decided he wanted to get some fresh air and decided to take a run through the woods.

Mayonaka and Tanya huddled under their covers.

Kat watched as Kenshin rested against the back wall.

She grabbed her blankets and joined him, used to sleeping against the wall by now.

He draped a protective arm over her shoulder and drew her closer.

His breath tickled her ear, "I love you."

Kat smiled, "I love you too."

The hut was quiet once again.

^_^

"Kat. Kat wake up," Kenshin said gently shaking her awake.

"Five more," she muttered.

"Kat. It's Christmas! Wake up," he said.

"Christmas!" Kat exclaimed and jumped up, now fully awake.

"Show me the presents!" she said running out of the room.

Kenshin sighed and trailed after her.

Kat entered the living room and expected to see everyone else waiting there for her.

No one was there and she stared in confusion.

Kenshin came into the room, "I thought you'd like the honors of waking everyone up."

Kat grinned evilly, "You did that just for me?" 

He nodded.

"Then I'm gonna need your help."

^_^

"I'm glad we took the flash off the camera."

Kenshin nodded as he watched Kat hook up the new digital camera to the computer.

"Finally! Payback time!" she hit the print button and took the picture from the printer.

"Come on!" Kat grabbed Kenshin and dragged him through the hall.

They entered Inuyasha and Tanya (& Mayonaka)'s room.

Kat tiptoed over to Inuyasha's (now occupied) bed and tacked up the picture.

She giggled and picked up the air horn.

^_^

"Oh my ears!" Inuyasha complained.

"What?!" Tanya yelled.

"Never mind," Inuyasha muttered.

"What?!" she asked again.

"That was a pretty good prank. I'm surprised they didn't get us back sooner," Inuyasha said.

"What?!" Tanya asked and saw Inuyasha pointing to the picture, "Oh, good prank huh?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

The picture above the bed read, "Merry Christmas! Don't think of getting us back or we'll use this as blackmail!" 

The picture showed Inuyasha with his arm wrapped around Tanya.

Tanya had an arm around a stuffed bear and her thumb in her mouth.

"I don't remember doing that," Tanya muttered.

Inuyasha sighed, "Well that was our wake up call. Guess we better join them."

"What?!" 

^_^

"Oh my god!" Tanya exclaimed, her hearing now back to normal, "The complete sceries of Slayers! How did you know I wanted this?"

Kat sighed, "You only talk about the sceries everyday!"

"Your turn Mayonaka!" Kat said handing her son a present.

He unwrapped it, "A gas powered mini car!"

"Thought you'd like it!" Kat said.

"I'll be outside trying it out!" Mayonaka announced as he left the room.

Tanya smiled, "Your turn Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha picked up a brightly wrapped package.

He tore off the wrapping and held up his gift.

Kat burst out laughing.

"What? I thought he'd look so cute wearing them!" Tanya said.

He stared at the fuzzy pink ear warmers.

Inuyasha put them on, knowing that he'd never be caught dead wearing them anytime else. 

"Ok, your turn Kenshin!" Kat said handing him a gift.

He took it and unwrapped it.

He had gotten two iron sword sheathes from Inuyasha.

"They weigh more but they can serve as secondary weapons and, over time, it will make you stronger," Inuyasha said.

Kenshin unsheathed his swords, put them into their new sheathes, then placed them back under his belt, "Thanks."

"Your turn Kat!" Tanya said.

Kat took a gift from Tanya and unwrapped it, "Oh my god! The complete sceries for Rurouni Kenshin including the ending OVAs!"

"Thought you'd like it!" Tanya said.

Inuyasha handed Kat another gift.

Kat blinked at him.

"Another gift from Tanya and me," he explained.

Kat took it and unwrapped it.

Stars appeared in her eyes, "THE ENTIRE SIX DISK SPECIAL EDITION COLLECTOR SET OF TRIGUN EPISODES!!!" 

Kat hugged Tanya and Inuyasha until they turned purple.

"Inuyasha, come with me to get a cup of coffee," Tanya said.

Inuyasha quirked a brow and followed her to the kitchen.

"Follow me," Kenshin said.

Kat shot him a questioning look before following him.

He led her to a door in the hall that she had never noticed before.

Kenshin opened the door and stepped back.

Kat stepped back and gasped.

The room was filled wall to wall with tanks.

Above here was a bridge that connected the two biggest tanks that went over the top of the door frame.

"Oh. My. God," was all Kat could say.

"You like it?" Kenshin asked.

Kat nodded as she stared.

"How did you know? Every type of fish I've ever seen is in these tanks. Everything from cichlids to lion fish," Kat said.

"It was Tanya's idea. We had a hard time keeping Inuyasha out of the tanks though. He kept trying to eat a fish that Tanya named after me. It looks like an ordinary feeder fish so why she named it after me is a mystery," Kenshin said. 

"I love it! Look at all the fish! Discus, gorami, loaches, killi, angels, goldfish, koi, ryukin, carp, tetras, swordtails, platties, arrowana, catfish, rainbows, bettas, archers, puffers, knives, head standers, barbs, and some I can't even name!" Kat exclaimed.

Kenshin tapped her on her shoulder.

Kat turned around and he handed her another gift.

Kat unwrapped it.

It was an engraved mahogany box.

She lifted the lid and read the note engraved on the top, "Here lie five wishes. Use them as you wish, but be warned, what ever you wish for will be granted and cannot be undone." 

Five softball sized brightly glowing spheres were inside the box.

Kat stared at them a bit longer, "Five wishes? How do I use them?"

Kenshin reached into the box and pulled a glowing ball out, "You hold it in your hand and wish for what you want, but remember to be very precise with your wish."

He put the wish back in the box and Kat closed the lid.

"Thank you Kenshin!" Kat said turning to leave to show Tanya.

"I have one more gift to you," Kenshin said stopping her.

Kat put the box down by the door and walked back over to Kenshin.

He paused and took a deep breath.

Then he reached into his gi and pulled something out.

Kat watch him with amusement as his fingers toyed with the object in his hand.

Then Kenshin took Kat's hand and kneeled on one knee.

Kat's mouth dropped open.

Her eyes turned wide with realization at what he was doing.

Kenshin took arm out from behind his back and opened the small box in his hand.

Kat gasped as tears of joy sprang up.

Inside the box was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

It was white gold, with three diamonds on it, the one in the middle being the biggest.

It projected crystals onto the tanks as the sun lapped at it.

Kenshin took another deep breath to calm his nerves, "Katsura Okamimure, will you marry me?"

Kat's mouth was frozen, to her horror she couldn't reply.

Kenshin slipped the ring onto her finger.

All of the sudden Tanya burst into the room running from an angry hanyou.

"I didn't do it!" she wailed.

Inuyasha charged after her, "Are you telling me that that coffee pot spilled all over me all by itself?!" 

"It wasn't me!" she wailed.

Kat was crying from pure rage now, her perfect moment ruined again! 

"SIT!!! SIT!!! SIT!!!" she shouted at the top of her lungs.

Inuyasha crashed through the floor and Kat stormed out of the room picking up the box of wishes on the way. 

Kenshin's eyes flickered gold as he gave Tanya a death glare.

Then he stormed out of the room too.

"It wasn't me!" Tanya wailed again. 

(A/N: Please don't kill me! You'll see why this happened, it all makes sense! BTW a major clue was left in this chapter. I bet you can't find it! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	42. Daughter of the Phoenix

Let's see… Uh… 5 more to go? I'm workin on it!

PLESE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 41

Kat stormed off down the hall back to the living room.

She piled up all her presents, opened and unopened, and was about to head back to her room when she spied Kageunsei near the tree.

The massive black wolf was staring at something blankly looking as if he had just seen a ghost.

Kat walked over, "Kage, you ok?"

He flinched as she neared him.

Kat stared at him confused.

Then a soft rustling came from under the tree.

Kat listened closer and she swore she heard a bark.

Kat crouched down and reached under the tree.

Her hand touched something warm and fuzzy.

She pulled the thing out and almost dropped it in surprise.

An amber wolf cub was dangling by the scruff from her hand.

It had an enormous red ribbon around its neck.

Kat took a closer look and saw a note attached to the bow.

She took it off and read it.

The note fell from her hand and she placed the pup on the ground as if it had rabies. 

Her face turned pale, "No. No way."

But it is isn't it?

Kat shook her head in disbelief.

She left her here for me to take care of.

Kat picked up the note again and reread it: 

_To my dearest husband, _

_By the time you get this present, I will have been long gone. Her name is Saku and she is our daughter. I know you will take good care of her… _

_Your wife,_

_Phoenix_ of the Wind __

_PS Saku is Kat's guardian until she feels that her son needs our daughter more._

A daughter. I didn't even know she was expecting.

"She wasn't," Kat said. 

Kageunsei stared at Kat.

"Your daughter is made up of-"

"Having fun wench?" Inuyasha joked.

Still not being in the best of moods Kat did what she thought would make her feel better, "SIT!"

Inuyasha face planted and the pup scrambled over to the hanyou.

She licked his face and bit his ears.

Inuyasha muttered curses from the rug before Tanya came in.

"What was that for?" she asked.

Kat glared at her but Tanya was paying attention to the pup, "Who is that?"

My daughter.

Tanya picked up the pup then almost dropped her in shock, "Your daughter?!"

Kageunsei nodded before turning to leave the room.

Kat watched him pad sighlently out of the room.

"I thought Suzaku was dead."

"She is, but she somehow managed to leave her… daughter… with us," Kat explained.

Tanya nodded, "Want to watch the ending OVAs?"

Kat fell over. '_How can she be so dense?' _ 

She stood up and took the pup from Tanya, "Sure but you have to help me with my presents!"

"No prob!" Tanya said as she grabbed the pile of Kat's presents.

They stopped at Kat's room first and dropped off the small mountain of gifts.

Tanya's foot knocked over the box of wishes and a few spilled out.

Tanya grabbed the glowing balls before they could get away and stuffed them back into the box.

"Come on Tanya!" Kat said.

Tanya popped out of the room, "Sorry, just was picking up those glowing things. What are those anyway?"

"Kenshin gave them to me, they're wishes. Did you manage to pick all of them up?" Kat asked.

"I think so. Come on! I'm dying to watch this!" Tanya said.

Their clothes changed to kimonos upon entering the game room.

Tanya walked over to the DVD player and ripped off the plastic covering on the DVD she was holding.

Then she slipped the DVD into the player and joined Kat on the couch.

Kat put the pup in her lap and stared into the light blue green eyes.

They seemed oddly familiar but she couldn't place where she had seen them before.

The DVD of the ending OVAs began to play and Kat began to absently stroke the pup's wheat colored fur. 

Tanya caught something sparkling out of the corner of her eye and saw the ring on Kat's finger.

She was about to ask what it was but Kat told her to keep quiet.

Tanya wondered if the ring was just a present or something much more important.

(A/N: Hehe, hope you liked it! For all of you who don't go to high school yet, it sucks! The teachers are so evil! Well, just a thought! PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	43. Wish Us Back

Let's see… It's 7:30 pm Tuesday 11-11-03… Right… 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 42

Kat and Tanya sat there in utter shock. 

Kat had tears running down her face. '_So sad…' _

Tanya wiped at her tears and sniffled, "H-he…dies?" 

Kat couldn't move. '_He dies? Dies!? What about my Kenshin? Will he die like that?' _

"Kat," Tanya said and shoved her friend to make her snap out of it. 

Kat ended up falling over the side of the couch and onto the floor. 

The pup winced as Kat made a dull thud. 

There was a pause before Kat jumped up and ran out the door. 

"Kat, wait!" Tanya said and ran after her friend.

^_^

Kenshin heard her come in and turned to see what the matter was.

Inuyasha was there too trying to shuffling a deck of cards.

Inuyasha gave Kenshin a confused look before standing up and wandering off to find Tanya. 

Kat ran over to Kenshin and stuck a hand inside his gi. 

Kenshin yelped, "ORO?!" 

Kat kept searching around with her fingers until she was satisfied that there was no disease. (A/N: Kenshin has an odd disease in the OVAs. Anyone know what he had?)

She pulled her hand out of his gi and hugged the swirl-eyed red head. 

Tanya came in, "Is he ok?" 

Kat stopped hugging him and Kenshin fell to the ground, "Yah, he seems fine." 

Kenshin sat up, "Fine about what Miss Kat?" 

"We watched the ending OVA's and…and…" Kat trailed off. 

"You die!" Tanya finished for her friend. 

"Die? What are you talking about Miss Tan-" Kenshin was cut off by an iron skillet. 

"That's MRS Tanya!" Tanya huffed. 

"Gomen!" Kenshin said. 

He rubbed the bump on his head and winced. 

It was by far the biggest one he had ever gotten. 

"Inuyasha! Mayonaka! Kageunsei! Saku! Get in here!" Kat yelled. 

They ran to the door and shoved their way through. 

"What's wrong?" Mayonaka asked, irritated that he had to stop playing with his car. 

"Kenshin wish us back to our time! Quick!" Kat said hurriedly. 

"Why?" Kenshin asked. 

Tanya raised her skillet, "Do as she says or I'll whack you again!" 

"ORO?!" 

(A/N: I'm sorry it's so short! This is part of the original unedited story and it used to be chapter 28. Aren't you glad I rewrote it? I'm thinking of posting the original unedited version later on when I finish this story! PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	44. Back Seat Driving

Listening to Drops of Jupiter by Train. Good song ^-^

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 43

Inuyasha dug his claws farther into the arm rest and held on for dear life. 

The sound of claws trying to gain traction came from the back of the Suburban as they rounded another corner. 

"Almost there!" Kat assured them. 

Kenshin had a sick expression on his face as he felt another wave of nausea wash over him. 

Tanya sat the back with Inuyasha and was doing backseat driving, "Turn here!" 

Kat jerked the wheel of the car hard to make the turn. 

Tanya's seatbelt locked and she pulled at it to make it let go. 

They were getting closer to the hospital and Kat couldn't help but think if it was too late to save Kenshin. 

He had wished them back to their time under Tanya's threat and they had made a mad dash to the car. 

Everyone piled in including Saku and Kageunsei. 

"There! Park there!" Tanya yelled. 

Kat swung in and hit the brakes. 

There was a thump from the back as the two wolves hit the side of the truck. 

The doors flew open and they began to run towards the emergency room. 

Inuyasha paused realizing that Kenshin wasn't there and ran back to grab him. 

Kat and Tanya kept running and reached the emergency room doors just as Inuyasha came running back using his demon speed. 

Kageunsei made a hat appear on Inuyasha's head and changed his clothes. 

People in the room began to scream when they caught sight of the wolves and headed for the doors. 

The doctor at the desk glared at them, "Can I help you?!" 

"We need you to look at Kenshin!" Kat exclaimed. 

"What's wrong with him?" the doctor asked keeping his cool since he couldn't see the wolves over the desk. 

"We saw-" Kat stopped immediately. 

How was she supposed to tell the doctor that they had seen him die on TV and were now worried about him? 

Inuyasha covered for her, "A pan fell off the shelf and hit him on the head." 

"A pan?" the doctor asked. 

They nodded. 

The doctor sighed and used the intercom, "Can we get a gurney in the ER?" 

He turned back to them, "Don't worry, we are the best hospital in the county." 

A few minutes later a gurney was wheeled in and Kenshin was put on it even though he protested, "I'm fine, that I am. I don't need treatment." 

The doctors who came in with the gurney had been wary around the wolves but anyone who protested was growled at. 

Kageunsei had begun to follow when Kat stopped him, "You can't follow him on there." 

Really? Watch me. he growled. 

"He'll be fine," Inuyasha said.

The massive black wolf snorted before pacing restlessly back and forth from the vending machines to the chairs and back. 

"You mind telling me what's going on?" Inuyasha asked.

(A/N: Another short chapter I know but I couldn't think of anything else! PLEASE REVIEW!!!) 


	45. Assembly Breakdown

Great… hoped to have this chapter up sooner but ff.net didn't want to work! It does that sometimes -_- BTW: Don't mean to sound mean but I'm human and I do make mistakes so just ignore my spelling! 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 44

"Will you bear my child?" 

*SLAP* 

"Who you calling short ugly?!" 

"Sit!" 

"Freak!" 

"Rooster head!" 

"QUIET!" 

The room fell silent. 

"Thank you. I'm glad you all came-" Kat was cut off when Megumi cut in. 

"Why did you bring Ken-san here if he could have come to my place for a 'treatment'?" she asked while snickering. 

Kat cleared her throat, "He's here because…" she paused before remembering the lie that Inuyasha had used, "Kenshin was hit hard on the head with a pan." 

Everyone in the room sweat dropped. 

"Let me get this straight little missy, you dragged us all the way here just because Kenshin got hit on the head?" Sano asked. 

Kat threw her hands up in defense, "Tanya hit him with an iron skillet…" 

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered. 

Kat shot him a warning glare. 

Kat was about to continue when, "Pervert!" 

*SLAP* 

Miroku hit the floor and made a small dent in it. 

"You say something rooster head?" Misao growled. 

"Now why would I do that weasel?" he asked. 

Fights broke out again and Kat knew that it was impossible to make them stop. 

A nurse came up and handed the doctor at the desk a note. 

"Excuse me, who is here for Kenshin Himura?" he asked. 

The room's occupants paused what they were doing, "We all are." 

The doctor nodded before rereading the note to himself.

He sighed, and then read the note allowed, "Mr. Himura has fallen into a coma."

Kat gasped and grew pale.

Tanya tried to comfort her friend.

"The cause of this is not from being hit by a pan. He has so many scars and most haven't healed properly. The doctors were trying to remove some of them when he flat lined. We have revived him but, as I said, it caused him to lapse into a coma. Usually, patients like him don't survive the night…" 

There was a choked gasp and the doctor paused. 

He turned his gaze to Kat. 

The girl had the most shocked expression he had ever seen. 

He felt as if he had just told her that the guy died.  

Being a doctor, it had been his job to tell people when a family member died and most would immediately break down. 

The doctor turned to go back to his desk before wondering allowed, "How could someone like him have such severe muscle damage and scaring that it could be life threatening?"

Kat fell to her knees and she was dimly of others in the room began to cry. _'How could this happen?!'_

(A/N: Please don't kill me & PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	46. Supersticious Sanosuke

*Growls at internet* DARN ff.net! It just isn't working today!!

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 45

Kat felt her knees buckle. 

The cold hard floor rushed up to meet her but Kageunsei had caught her before she hit it. 

Mayonaka's eyes glazed over and he hung his head. 

Karou let out a startled gasp and Misao tried to comfort her. 

Kat couldn't cry anymore, she was too shocked. 

Tanya came over and whispered in her ear, "At least he's not dead. Come on, we can go see him now." 

The group had left their chairs behind and had filed out of the room. 

Kat was aware of Megumi trying not to cry as well as Karou. 

Saku followed on one side of Kat while Kageunsei followed on the other. 

They helped clear a pathway to let Kat be the first one in. 

Sano sighed. '_If this little miss goes in first we'll never get to talk to Kenshin.'  _

Kageunsei snapped at Sano and just barely missed him. 

Sano went stumbling backwards, "Hey! What was that for?!" 

For thinking the wrong things. 

Sano paled. '_Did that dog just talk to me? It must be possessed!'  _

He scrambled out of the hallway leaving everyone behind baffled at his behavior. 

Kat turned the knob on the door and walked in. 

A nurse looked up from hanging a bag of clear fluids on a pole, "I'll be just a second. I'm sorry; I know how much you want to talk to your husband." 

Normally, Kat would have blushed and denied it but she was not in the mood. 

The nurse inserted a needle into Kenshin's hand and the clear liquid began to drip down the tube. 

"All done! If you need me, just push that button," she said as she motioned to a red button by the head of the bed. 

Kat nodded and waited for the click of the door to be sure that no one was listening. 

She pulled up a chair and pulled Kenshin's hand into hers. 

She waited for a squeeze that would tell her he was ok but got none. 

"Kenshin…" Kat choked. 

He didn't respond to her voice. 

"Kage, don't comatose patients dream?" Kat asked her wolf. 

Kageunsei was startled by the question yes… 

"Can you find what he is dreaming about?" she asked. 

Kageunsei shook his head There's only so much I can do. 

Kat sighed, was fate out to get her? 

(A/N: *looks for somewhere to hide* PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	47. Hawlk & Kitten Nicknames for Daughter an...

Must…finish… posting…!!! Being as dumb as I am, I must have forgotten to mention that (*curses loudly* OWW!!! I tore off my right ring finger nail while playing flag football in PE today. It hurts to type! *-*) EVERYTHING can be wished for! So when an object mysteriously appears or repairs etc. it's because it's been wished for. The gang got to the future a few chappies back since Kenshin wished them there under threat from Tanya. The wolves can read minds & grant wishes. Kenshin can only wish. MY THANKS TO MIZU YOUKAI FOR REVIEWING SO MANY TIMES! Thanks to Aharah (I spelled that right, right?) for answering all my questions (being part blonde I need all the help I can get -_-)! 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 46

There was a knock at the door. 

Kageunsei nudged Kat's arm to wake her up.

Your father. the wolf told her. 

Kat frowned. '_What is he doing here?' _

She walked over and opened the door, "Daddy?" 

The man at the door smiled, "You've grown! I guess you're mother has stopped putting bricks on your head." 

Kat hugged her dad, "What made you come?" 

"Your friend Tanya called me. She said that I should come to look at her friend's future husband." 

Kat flushed. '_I'll kill Tanya! She should know by now that my dad thinks no one is good enough for me! Did he mention that Tanya said he was my future husband?! Oh no, if Kenshin doesn't die in his coma dad's gonna kill him.' _

"Why don't you introduce us?" Kat's dad said. 

"He's in a coma," Kat stated flatly. 

Her dad frowned, "I'd still like to see him." 

"Taka, promise me you won't hurt him?" Kat warned, using her father's nickname. 

"I'd never hurt an unarmed man Koneko," he assured, using his nickname for her. 

He walked over to the man his daughter obviously cared for and studied him. 

He seemed oddly familiar. 

Her father studied the red hair and the odd scar on his cheek. '_Where have I seen him before?' _

Kat watched her father study Kenshin and swallowed hard. _'I hope he doesn't recognize him!'_

Then it dawned on him. '_The Battousai!?!__ My daughter is in love with the Hitokiri?!'_

(A/N: Odd twist, ne? PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	48. Heritage

*Cackled insanely* SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER! FINALLY! Tsukamaru Kai Tenshi… The Scarlet Ibis is the title for the sequel! It's gonna kick this one's ass! (Tsukamaru Kai Tenshi means Caught Between Angles- you'll find out later why the title is called that)

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

Chapter 47

Kat noticed that her father seemed to pale with fear. '_He can't be the Battousai! The Battousai died over one hundred years ago. So is he a descendant like I am? My great-great-great grandfather was killed by the Battousai but suppose he, like my grandfather had a family?'_

"Taka, is something wrong?" Kat asked. 

The man stiffened, "He looks like a man that used to be known as the Battousai. This man went around killing thousands of men and even killed my great-great-great grandfather." 

"Taka, I've heard of such a man but I had no idea it was true," Kat tried to cover for Kenshin.

"Koneko, it was true but the story became a myth since it was so unbelievable." '_I cannot let this man marry my daughter! He killed my grandfather but I also cannot tell Koneko she can't marry him! _

"Taka, is something wrong?" Kat asked. 

Her father grinned sheepishly, "Nothing at all. I'll leave you two alone…" 

Kat watched as her father, the chief of the police, walk out the door. 

She knew he was up to something. 

He would never leave his daughter alone in a room with another guy. 

She sighed, "Wake up Kenshin."

(A/N: Um… Yah. PLEASE REVIEW!!!)


	49. FREE AS A BIRD

LAST CHAPTER! *cackles manically* I'm finally finished!!! Look for the sequel Tsukamaru Kai Tenshi… The Scarlet Ibis because you're gonna love it! You know this story is over 30,000 words?! I lost count on how many words the sequel had at 50,000 (computer doesn't want to show higher ^_^) 

PLEASE REVIEW!!!

**Free as a bird**

Chapter 48

~*Seven months have passed.*~ 

Inuyasha knocked on the door.

Kat turned to see who it was.

The hanyou let himself in and stood next to Kat looking down at his best friend.

Tanya was waiting outside the room for Kat to finish with her daily hellos to Kenshin.

Inuyasha sighed, "When will you give up?" 

Kat frowned at Inuyasha, "Give up? Kenshin never gave up on me and I'll never give up on him."

"I'm not saying you should stop praying for him. I'm saying that you need to move on. You need to face the fact that our red headed bozo might never wake up," Inuyasha said.

"How can you say that?! Kenshin is going to wake up! I love him and there's no way he could leave me!"

"You don't love the Kenshin in front of you. You're holding the hand of a living vegetable and the one you love is lost in a never ending dream."

Kat was about to protest when she saw he was right.

She stared blankly at her never official fiancé's body, "You're right."

There was a knock on the door and the nurse walked in, "Have you made your decision?"

Kat nodded and the nurse reached for the off switch, "Stop! That's not what I meant. I want you to move him to the coma ward." 

The nurse paused, "You know that the chances of him waking up are slim to none?"

Kat nodded, "I'm going to hang on to the hope that someday he will wake up and come back to me."

The nurse sighed and muttered under her breath, "We all hang on to that hope but how long will she be able to keep hers?"

The nurse plugged some wires into a battery and wheeled Kenshin's bead out of the room to the nicknamed 'vegetable ward.'

Kat watched him go and wondered if she would ever see her red head walk again.

She turned to the window and saw small birds floating on the breeze. '_How free and innocent. Floating with out a care in the world.' _ 

Inuyasha sighed and laid a clawed hand on her shoulder, "Ready to go?" 

Kat nodded and stood up.

Tanya followed them down the hall.

As they passed the coma ward Kat caught a glimpse of Kenshin. _'Maybe Inuyasha's right, it's time for me to move on. It's been months since Kenshin fell into a coma and everyone's expecting me to get married.'_ Kat fingered the ring on her finger.

_'But how can I forget a man I loved so much...?'_

_~*~ OWARI ~*~_

(A/N: LOOK FOR THE SEQUEL! There will be a sequel since I know you'd kill me if I didn't make one. It will be called Tsukamaru Kai Tenshi (Caught Between Angles). Please tell me if I got the title wrong! It will be under Trigun since it's going to be a Trigun, Rurouni Kenshin, Inuyasha & YYH crossover. I will post the sequel this week! PLEASE REVIEW!!!)

 


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